RTKL, in a joint-venture with Witsell, Evans and Rasco (WER) of Little Rock, Arkansas, was selected under GSA’s Design Excellence Program to provide design services for the alteration and expansion of the Richard Sheppard Arnold U.S. Courthouse in Little Rock, Arkansas. The project scope included modernizing the existing 236,500-SF courthouse and designing a new 161,500-SF annex.

The new annex sits on an adjacent parcel of land and features administrative offices, twelve new courtrooms, and a dramatic 5-story public atrium. The team’s greatest challenge was designing a building that was both respectful of the existing space and a statement of its time. The addition boasts a scale and material palette similar to that found in the courthouse but introduces a striking semi-circular glazed rotunda as a way to comfortably transition between old and new. To reconcile uneven floor to floor heights, the team created mezzanine levels, ensuring that one could travel back and forth between the buildings from any floor via an elevator or bridge. Sustainability objectives were met through use of low-VOC and recycled materials, energy star roof coatings, and efficient building systems; as well as the integration of daylight into the courtrooms; and the creation of an outdoor public plaza.