John M. Roll United States Courthouse

  • Location:

    Yuma, Arizona

  • Client:

    General Services Administration – San Francisco

  • Construction Value:

    $27,614,788

  • Delivery Method:

    Design-Build

  • Year Completed:

    2013

  • Specialties:

    Courthouses, Government

Features & Highlights

  • LEED Gold®
Project Overview

This design-build, two-story, 57,000-square-foot building included two courtrooms, judges’ chambers, detention cells and administrative areas for the U.S. Courts and Marshals Service.

Because the building needed to serve both the U.S. Marshals’ Service and the U.S. District Courts, the design-build team needed to accommodate two different building needs, both with high-security needs. Coordinating and meeting the end users’ needs and tying them together were significant challenges. Keeping members of the public and court staff safe through state-of-the-art security systems, all while serving the needs of both end users made this federal courthouse project unique.

The team applied Lean construction principles along with BIM technology to rapidly test design ideas and communicate them visually with the rest of the team. This allowed for maximized value and an enhanced design-build process, delivering the owner the best possible building for the budget. The use of BIM also enhanced the owner’s understanding of the project as it developed. From programming studies to final design, the extensive use of BIM explained development approaches, construction sequences and configuration of materials.

The building’s modern design put a Southwestern twist on the classic American courthouse, including “living walls” made of vines that were planted on steel trellises to shade windows. The building includes a 10,000-square-foot canopy made of photovoltaic panels that provide shade while generating one quarter of the building’s electrical needs. These details, plus water-saving features and the use of locally sourced materials, contributed to the building’s LEED Gold® certification.

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“Sundt was an excellent design-build firm with good relationships with the designer and subcontractors. I would rate them high and work with them again.”

Paul Andrade, Project Executive/Manager, GSA – San Francisco

Contacts

Awards & Accolades

2015 National Award of Merit, Design Build Institute of America

2014 GSA Design Award, achievement in architecture and urbanism, General Services Administration

2014 Sustainable Award, AIA Arizona

2013 Best Government/Public Building Award of Merit, ENR Southwest

2013 Regional Award for Design Excellence, Project in Progress, Design-Build Institute of America Pacific Region