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  4. Miami-Dade Justice Center

Downtown Miami’s new courthouse tower stands as a shining example of landmark public-private partnership delivery in Florida.

Location

  • Miami, Florida, USA

Client

  • Miami-Dade County

Architect

  • HOK

Project Status

  • Completed

Pending Certifications

  • Targeting LEED Silver Certification

Quick fact

  • First social infrastructure P3 project in the state of Florida

Rising 25 stories and encompassing 600,000 square feet, the new Osvaldo N. Soto Miami-Dade Justice Center is a towering testament to modern civic design, engineering ingenuity and the power of public-private partnerships (P3).

The courthouse is not only a striking addition to the Miami skyline but also a model for resilient, sustainable and efficient public infrastructure. It is the first social infrastructure P3 project completed in Florida.

WSP in the U.S. led the mechanical, electrical, plumbing (MEP) and fire protection design as well as construction administration services.

The courthouse serves all civil matters within the county. Lower floors house a three-story atrium entry, offices, administrative and arbitration rooms, holding cells, cafeteria/dining facilities and a parking garage. Floors 13 through 24 feature 46 finished courtrooms, with four additional rooms to be converted in the future. The top floor is reserved as shell space for future expansion.

 

Born from public need

Although the original courthouse, built in 1928, was in a severe state of disrepair, voters rejected a 2014 referendum that would have approved a $393 million bond — funded through a tax increase — to construct a new building.

“That’s when the county shifted gears and pursued a P3 to get the courthouse tower project up and running,” said David Kosterno, PE, C.Eng., MCIBSE, senior vice president of mechanical engineering and project manager for WSP. “That approach impacted taxpayers far less and as a result, it gained significant traction. By late 2019 the project team — including WSP — was in place.”

We worked closely with the architect HOK and comprehensive design team members throughout the design phase. Strict document controls were established early in the project, including maximized design sessions using Bluebeam for real-time review and comments, which kept the project on schedule.

Stories building height
25
Square footage
600,000
Courtrooms
46
img-prj-miami-date-courthouse-1

State-of-the-art systems for efficiency

The previous courthouse contained systems that were functionally obsolete, and the building was too small to accommodate Miami’s growth. The new facility offers significantly more space and will be able to serve judicial needs for years to come.

To improve visitor flow and provide safe, streamlined circulation for judges and staff, elevators are located at the front and back of the building, away from public areas. Further, courtrooms are placed next to judicial chambers for judges’ convenience.

MEP engineers met with judges and senior staff to determine departmental layout and needs. The resulting floor plan is efficiently designed, with custom electrical solutions that accommodate technology and power requirements for each function. Further, mechanical spaces are located outside of public access areas to avoid disruption to court functions.

Resilient design

The tower was designed to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification. Large windows throughout the building introduce natural light that creates a more calming environment for all.

Sustainable design features also include strategies for energy and water conservation, along with the use of an innovative air purification system that enhances environmental and occupant health inside the building.

One of the building’s most innovative features is its use of the city’s existing centralized district cooling system, which already provided chilled water for air conditioning multiple downtown buildings. This unusual opportunity meant the courthouse did not have to commit space to an on-site cooling system, contributing to its operational efficiency and sustainable design.

To support resilience efforts, mechanical systems and generators are located on higher floors. Pump placement in the garage mitigates potential flood impacts from storm surge and sea level rise. Additionally, the parking garage was designed with only one level of half below-grade parking, elevating the main lobby above street level to avoid flooding.

Given Miami’s vulnerability to severe storms, the courthouse is equipped with emergency generators capable of powering critical areas for up to 120 hours.

To achieve this without occupying too much building space, storage tanks were installed within a secure concrete “bathtub” beneath the building’s loading dock, capable of storing about 20,000 gallons of diesel fuel. The design addressed both code requirements and Miami’s high-water table, ensuring that building functions would not be disrupted by severe weather.

img-prj-miami-dade-courthouse-2
In terms of bringing Miami’s civil court building up to modern day standards, this tower has certainly achieved that. It’s ushering Miami-Dade into a place with future-ready civic facilities.

Efficient floor plate

One of the constraints that impacted the Miami-Dade courthouse project was its compact downtown site. The slender, tall structure required creative engineering to accommodate a zero lot line — built to the edge of the property boundary with no space for setback or buffer space.

We reviewed space planning requirements and collaborated with the architect to offer equipment placement solutions that maintain building efficiency. Air handling units were placed on a mezzanine deck over back of house areas, so they did not encroach valuable court floor space. Fewer floors lowered the building height — and overall cost — without sacrificing its function.

Large shear walls divide the building into five sections, requiring significant coordination for duct routing and penetrations.

“A considerable amount of collaboration with the architect and structural engineer was critical for success,” Kosterno said. “It required a lot of gymnastics throughout the design stage to make it work.”

The result is a 430-foot-tall tower that maximizes every inch of available space.

Other challenges that we have overcome