U.S. Dedicates Innovative Miami Courthouse

MIAMI, Feb. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- A new, critically acclaimed federal courthouse in Miami is inaugurated in a ceremony to which former President Bill Clinton has been invited. The building's novel design innovates in function, image and urban design.

  OF SPECIAL NOTE:

  * The U.S. Courthouse was commissioned by the U.S. General Services
    Administration (GSA) as part of its 12-year-old Design Excellence
    Program, which seeks lasting, world-class architecture for major federal
    commissions. The building is also noteworthy for its environmentally
    sensitive design.

  * Arquitectonica's Federal Courthouse forms a 45-foot-high gate on axis
    with Miami's 4th Street Promenade, surrounded by a grand, landscaped
    plaza featuring a notable landform artwork, Flutter, by Maya Lin.

  * Two court towers connect through generous circulation lobbies which
    occur in each floor. A dramatically tilting conical atrium, 8 stories
    tall and enclosed in three shades of sparkling blue tinted glass,
    pierces though the lobbies and soars to a triangular skylight 224 feet
    high.

  * Inside, Arquitectonica has redefined courthouse function: Natural
    daylighting illuminates interior spaces, much more so than in typical
    facilities. Courtrooms are grouped in pairs, with direct access through
    foyers in between. Each courtroom features wenge-paneled walls, cherry
    and walnut furnishings and judges' benches of imported limestone -- all
    below sculpted "origami" ceilings.

  THE FINE PRINT:

Arquitectonica's Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr., United States Courthouse, with a major installation by Maya Lin, will be officially dedicated on February 23 in a ceremony attended by President Bill Clinton. The new Courthouse is a major new civic building and public space for Miami, completing the city's judicial campus created by its old courthouse, annex tower, the Lawrence King justice building and a federal prison. "Our design objective was to provide visual testimony to the dignity and stability of the American government and the seriousness of the federal judiciary's mission," says U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore.

An important, iconic new building for Miami, the 578,000-square-foot Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr., Courthouse has been hailed by design critics, local officials, and the public at large. Terence Riley, director of the Miami Art Museum, cited the courthouse as proof that architecture is "one of the engines" of Miami's recent ascendancy in the arts, architecture and design. China's most prolific architect, Xing Tong, visited the facility in December. And last November, Arquitectonica's courthouse was highlighted in a series of tours organized by Architectural Digest to "examine the influence and power of architectural design."

The $127 million building's design is rich in materials and meaning, yet also an example of "green" -- environmentally sensitive -- architecture. Two opposing towers of glass and precast concrete are spanned by a crystalline lobby section. Visible inside is a dramatic conical atrium, clad in blue glass, rising eight floors to a skylight in the roof. (The transparency of the structure signifies the integrity of the court, and equality before the law, says Arquitectonica principal Bernardo Fort-Brescia, FAIA.) The rhythmic curtain-wall elevations reflect interior functions -- office, chamber, courtroom -- with alternating depths and colors of deep sunshades, which also reduce seasonal cooling costs. Signage announces the building to nearby pedestrians and distant vehicles alike

At the base, a monumental three-color stone colonnade recalls the richness of traditional courthouses. Entry is from underneath the heroic gateway, across from a multicolored stone water wall reaching 30 feet high. Past the main lobby, with its Great Seal and walls of three-hued limestone, is a soaring, 45-foot atrium with flying escalators leading to jury assembly. Floors are in a durable black calibrated slate.

The courtrooms are distinguished yet notably modern. Finished in wood veneer paneling, acoustical fabric-wrapped panels and custom-designed glass wall panels, they are marked by animated "origami" ceiling planes. The custom millwork and furnishings -- designed by Arquitectonica's Laurinda Spear -- feature three species of wood, highlighting the judge's bench of Pakistani teakwood limestone.

Outside, the public plaza surrounding the building is rich in vegetation and art. Maya Lin's earth sculpture creates gentle "waves" of native Bermuda grass, an image evoking the Florida coastline. The gentle, 3-foot-high mounds serve as play area, casual seating, and even as an enhancement to perimeter security.

The solution by Arquitectonica -- with associate architect HOK -- dazzles the eye as it exceeds the requirements of the U.S. Courts Design Guide, the client, and the City of Miami. For example, all courtrooms, jury rooms and judges' chambers feature windows or glass walls letting in sunlight. Green features include locally produced materials and non-endangered wood species. Half of the fa??ades are shaded, and the glass cladding removes 99 percent of ultraviolet radiation. Inside, air quality enhancements were made to the HVAC system and in the careful selection of low-VOC paints and finishes. All waste was recycled during demolition and construction. Outside, the site showcases native and drought-tolerant plantings and an efficient drip irrigation system

Just as important, the Wilkie D. Ferguson, Jr. U.S. Federal Courthouse enhances the city by preserving the important 4th Street Promenade. The site creates a lush community plaza filled with landscaping and captivating form. And the image of the building reflects the GSA's mission: "Public buildings are part of the nation's legacy. They are symbolic of what government is about, not just places where public business is conducted."

IMAGES AVAILABLE

A photo rendering of the Columbia Memorial Space Science & Learning Center is available upon request. Contact: pressrequest@arquitectonica.com.

  ABOUT THE COURTHOUSE

  Formal name:        Wilkie D. Ferguson, Jr. United States Courthouse
  Location:           400 Block of North Miami Avenue, Miami
  Owner:              U.S. General Services Administration Region 4, Atlanta
  Architect and
   interior designer  Arquitectonica, Miami - Bernardo Fort Brescia, FAIA,
                      and Laurinda Spear, FAIA, ASLA, Founding Principals
  Associate
   architect          Hellmuth Obata + Kassabaum
  Landscape
   architect          Curtis & Rogers
  Lighting design     L'Observatoire
  Public art          Maya Lin
  General contractor  Dick Corporation

  A full list of consultants and suppliers is available upon request.

  ABOUT THE ARCHITECT and INTERIOR DESIGNER:

Arquitectonica (http://www.arquitectonica.com/) is an architecture, interior design and planning firm formed in Miami three decades ago as an experimental studio. Led by Bernardo Fort-Brescia and Laurinda Spear, the studio has grown to more than 400 professionals, combining its original creative spirit with the reliability and efficiency of a major firm. Arquitectonica is affiliated with Arquitectonica GEO, a landscape architecture firm, and has offices in: New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Madrid, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Manila, Dubai, Lima, Sao Paulo and Buenos Aires. PROJECTS: The firm has extensive experience in the full spectrum of architectural and interior design projects. The firm designed both the architecture and interiors for several notable projects including the United States Embassy in Lima, Peru; the new Bronx Museum of the Arts in New York; and the upcoming Columbia Memorial Space Science & Learning Center, dedicated to the astronauts of the Space Shuttle Columbia. Arquitectonica also designed the memorial dedicated to the UN Peacekeepers at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. AWARDS: The firm has won many AIA and Progressive Architecture Awards, including the AIA Test-of-Time Award for its Banco de Credito Headquarters, The Atlantis condominium and the Pink House. Arquitectonica has been named AIA Florida and Miami Firm of the Year. PRESS: Featured in 3,000 publications globally, with a new monograph authored by Beth Dunlop. EXHIBITIONS: Exhibitions by major museums in the United States, Europe, Latin America and Asia.

  Contact: Chris Sullivan
           (914) 462-2096
           pressrequest@arquitectonica.com
           **PHOTOS AVAILABLE**