Multnomah County Opens New, Safer Courthouse
On October 5, Multnomah County officially opened the doors to its new, safer courthouse in downtown Portland, Oregon.
At 17 stories and 464,700 SF, the new Multnomah County Central Courthouse is not only larger than its eight-story, 295,400-square-foot predecessor, but also far better equipped to endure the strength of earthquakes expected in the area over the next 50 years.
In fact, creating a seismically safer courthouse was one of the main drivers behind the new facility. The old courthouse, located just four blocks away, was built 106 years ago and lacked the structural safety and space necessary to properly support the growing population of Multnomah County.
According to members of the courthouse project design team, the three main goals for the new courthouse project were to improve the public justice experience, expand interior security and safety measures, and upgrade the building’s seismic resistance capabilities.
In addition to providing the structural safety that the old courthouse lacked, the new Multnomah County Central Courthouse was designed to be a better, more efficient experience for both visitors and those who work there. The layout of the new courthouse allows for more consistent traffic flow and more efficient queueing areas, as well as separate spaces for judges and courthouse staff, offering each judge their own courtroom and rooms for attorneys and clients to discuss in private.
CGL is overjoyed for Multnomah County to have reached this milestone after the years and effort put into bringing this project to life.
Check out the articles below to learn more: