Durham County Justice Center

We provided structural engineering services for the Durham County Justice Center. With its prominent location in the heart of downtown and right next to NC-147, the City wanted the building to have a stately and recognizable profile. The building achieved LEED Gold certification in 2013, and it has come to symbolize the civic face of the City.

The tower consists of 11 stories, including nine stories of offices and courtrooms, a basement, and a high penthouse level. An adjacent five-story high wing includes offices for the county sheriff’s department and public defender’s office. The project scope also included a six-level parking garage connected to the main building by a pedestrian bridge. The main building construction is structural steel with a lightweight concrete slab on a metal deck. The exterior wall system consists of precast panels with inlaid thin brick and stone. The building is founded on a drilled caisson foundation. The parking garage is framed with precast concrete, steel-framed elevators, and stair towers.