Photo: Heery International

Adams County's new courthouse wing at the Justice Center includes 12 new courtrooms and 10 alternative-dispute resolution conference rooms. It is fully modernized and continues the colors, lines and shapes found in the original building.

Heery International’s Denver office provided design services for the $28-million courthouse and lobby addition. GE Johnson Construction Co. of Denver was the general contractor.

Since its opening in 1998, Adams County’s population growth and increased caseload rapidly outgrew the first-phase, six-story, 200,000-sq-ft facility. By 2007 the 17th Judicial District’s caseload exceeded the capacity of the existing building’s 21 courtrooms, with seven judges sharing space and three additional judges slated to take the bench by 2011. The Phase II expansion accommodates these immediate needs and prepares the county for projected growth through the next 10 to 20 years.

The new courthouse wing design includes 12 new courtrooms and 10 alternative-dispute resolution conference rooms to support current and future court trends. The expansion is fully modernized, incorporating the latest in courtroom technology, acoustics and integrated audio-visual systems.