The open, four-story atrium will offer a dramatic view of the Capitol while also providing passersby with a sense of transparency. Each courtroom opens up to the atrium and onto a pedestrian walkway.

The 490,000-sq-ft, precast structural-steel office building will house the headquarters and new offices for the state's attorney general, court administrator and public defender as well as other court-related offices. Shared support space for the different judicial agencies is included.

An 11,500-sq-ft conference center features a tiered classroom for press conferences and training, while a larger conference room is designed to be divided into three smaller spaces. A shared copy center and small café are also located in the building.

Energy Savings

Kannady says the mechanical team sought cost-effective and proven technology that makes the most sense for users. The data center in the office tower will demand energy year-round, including holidays; however, the energy-efficient strategies should save 30% compared with a standard code-compliant building.

Air-handling units are equipped with evaporative cooling to take advantage of Colorado's warm, dry summers, reducing the need for air conditioning. The mechanical plant has four water-cooled chillers with magnetic-bearing technology that eliminates oil lubrication and will save on maintenance and operation costs, Kannady says.

Area sensors interface with the building automation system (BAS) so it knows not to light, heat or cool unoccupied spaces. The lighting system not only controls fixtures based on time of day and occupancy but also dims interiors when daylighting is sufficient. The BAS also dynamically varies the amount of ventilation based upon building occupancy. The use of high-efficiency plumbing fixtures is projected to save 910,000 gallons of potable water every year. And the open-protocol BAS allows for future flexibility and expansion.

Mortenson has made a concerted effort to reduce waste and is recycling more than 75% of construction debris, including cardboard, wood, steel and concrete from demolition. More than 10,000 sq ft of granite was selectively gathered from the former Supreme Court building on the site before its demolition and then re-used on plaza areas.

Sisco says Mortenson is also attempting to become "as close to paperless as possible" by using electronic documents throughout the project. All submittals and RFI processing is managed and posted electronically, reducing paper usage by at least 25% for a project of this size.