Visitors to the Bernalillo County Courthouse enjoy daylit, open spaces and striking views of the Sandia Mountains. They don’t see the sophisticated technology that keeps them safe and comfortable – and saves tax dollars – by integrating multiple building functions. The courthouse combines pleasant public areas with secure and efficient workplaces for judicial staff, while isolating both from detainees in the holding areas and jail.
A courthouse is a complex building: It must accommodate daily visitors, judges and their staffs, and people being detained – while keeping those groups separated. And it must operate efficiently to conserve tax dollars. Bernalillo County met those challenges with a new 8-story, 24 courtroom, 272,000-square-foot courthouse, which opened in August of 2001.
