City of La Porte Municipal Court Building, Houston
The new 11,300-sq-ft municipal courthouse in La Porte was designed for daily court operations, but it will also be used as an emergency control center for the city of La Porte in the event of a disaster. The single-story concrete-tiltwall construction facility is designed to withstand a Category 3 hurricane, while acting as the hub of disaster operations.
While LEED certification was not sought for the project, many sustainable features were implemented in a valued-added submittal process. The courthouse features high Solar Reflectance Index value roofing, recycled glass tile in restrooms and low-VOC carpet adhesives and paints. The dual-flush toilets save 30% more water than conventional toilets. Indigenous and drought-tolerate plants allowed for utilization of a drip-watering system as part of the irrigation plan.
The nature of the project required the use of bulletproof materials. The payment windows were constructed of bulletproof glass, and the judge’s bench was constructed of Kevlar and finished with wood paneling. The building’s 4,000-sq-ft courtroom is completely finished in wood veneers.
The associated offices will allow the city to process, file and hold meetings related to municipal court proceedings.
Key Players
Submitted by: Turner Construction
Owner: City of La Porte, La Porte
General contractor: Turner, Houston
Architect, structural engineer, civil engineer and MEP engineer: Huitt-Zollars, Houston
Mechanical/plumbing contractor: Kilgore Industries LP, Houston
Electrical contractor: McDonald Electric, Houston
