Lake County Justice Center
Tavares, Florida
Heery International was retained by Lake County to design its new justice center. The new Lake County Justice Center serves as the keystone for a four-block county government campus. By expanding and reorienting the existing courthouse, the new courts facility integrates the government presence into the city by formally addressing Main Street.
Especially challenging is the presence of the elevated walkway spanning Main Street which delivers inmates to the courts from the existing correctional facility. This component, integral to the entry sequence, serves as a threshold and spatial orientation device in the six-story atrium tower.
The design will employ sustainable features: energy and water conservation, use of recycled and renewable resources, effective daylighting and improved thermal comfort. Daylighting of all courtrooms is achieved through the use of clerestories located above the entry vestibules.
The new courthouse is a simple organization of functions: a zone of upper floor public spaces facing Main Street serving 16 courtrooms; judges’ chambers and clerical functions in the administrative wing that parallels the existing justice building, which is being renovated to house the Clerk of Court, State’s Attorney and Public Defender’s offices.