This
750,000 square foot courthouse includes 28 courtrooms,
61 judge’s chambers, support space and parking
for 120 cars. A curtain wall, sloping up and back, fronts
the courthouse galleries and forms a great hall. The
mechanical and electrical systems for this $160 million
facility were designed to offer a high degree of space
comfort and indoor air quality, and to provide flexibility,
ease of operation, and energy efficiency. High efficiency
electric centrifugal refrigeration machines supply low-temperature
water to a series of ice storage tanks. The refrigeration
machines operate during evening hours to take advantage
of lower electricity rates. During occupied hours, the
refrigeration machines are stored and chilled water
is generated by pumping through the ice storage tanks
to variable air volume (VAV) air handling units. Low
temperature supply air is distributed to VAV fan powered
terminal units. These units maintain constant air
motion in the occupied space for improved comfort. The
fan powered terminal units, through the induction of
warmer above-ceiling plenum air, also incorporate a
heat recovery feature for use in perimeter space heating
prior to the energizing of heating coils. The air
handling units, equipped with high efficiency filters,
supply conditioned air with a high percentage of outside
air and offer a higher indoor air quality than that
of comparable buildings in use today. The electrical,
data and voice communication systems were designed to
be distributed efficiently through multiple equipment
closets on each floor. A floor distribution system was
designed to accommodate the installation of sophisticated
audiovisual systems in each courtroom.
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