Developer: Long Beach Judicial Partners/Meridiam Infrastructure
Designer: AECOM
Size: 6 acres (2.4 ha)
The Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse is the first public building in the country delivered through an availability-payment-based public/private partnership. The delivery mechanism—termed “performancebased infrastructure” by the state of California— removed the hurdle of covering upfront costs, allowing the California Judicial Council, Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) to replace a failing 55-year-old facility with a new building designed to set new standards for courthouse design, efficiency, and environmental stewardship, without any form of payment prior to occupancy. The result is a 531,000-square-foot (49,000 sq m) courthouse completed to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver standards ahead of schedule and under budget. The building provides efficient and humane access to the justice system for Los Angeles County’s growing population. The courthouse has 31 courtrooms, expansion space for six more, a secure courtyard, extensive natural daylight, and a highly effective circulation system. It bolsters the redevelopment area of downtown Long Beach with civic architecture that is often compared with that of cultural institutions, as well as streetscapes that create a new public realm for the community and connect the building with its context.
