AN UPGRADED SPACE
The Santa Rosa County Judicial Center Complex spans 115,000 square feet across 19 acres. It includes seven courtrooms and seven judges’ offices. It also features secure detention facilities. Hearing rooms, a law library, evidence rooms, jury selection, and deliberation areas are all located within the three-story county courthouse. Additionally incorporated are related departments like court administration and clerks of courts. The design-build project combined a 1995 procedure with a special partnership between the Ajax team, HOK, and Sam Marshall Architects.
“Once the county selected Ajax, the project really took off after nearly 26 years of planning,” explains Amy Bitterling, Ajax’s business development manager. “We’ve worked on this project for 12 years. Throughout that time, we’ve focused on the client’s needs and done our best to support them.”
PLANNING THE CAMPUS
The design of the courthouse incorporates precast concrete and structural steel.
Several glass and glazing components enhance the design, each built to withstand winds over 140 mph during Florida’s hurricane season. One of the structure’s main features is the brick inlay that the team applied to the precast. According to Jay Smith, president of Ajax, courthouse architectural specifications have evolved to meet rules that protect staff and visitors. These rules include features like limited access points. Smith explains that jurors, judges, staff, and prisoners are all distinct groups within a courthouse. “We designed the project with each group’s needs in mind,” he says. “By providing separate entrances and exits, we ensured their safety and helped avoid any unpleasant confrontations.”
Testing concepts was part of that approach. Before construction, Ajax built a model courthouse inside a warehouse. This allowed the team to test functionality and evaluate how specific spaces—like the jury box and areas for prosecution and defense—would work in the courtroom.
TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS
One key highlight of the project, beyond its visual appeal, is the advanced technology built into its core functions. For example, CourtSmart, a device that accurately and efficiently records courtroom proceedings, was installed to capture every presentation. To support this system, the project team had to align building components with technical infrastructure provided by the owner.
Chuck Lester, senior project manager at Ajax, explains, “To thoroughly implement and test the CourtSmart system, we had to collaborate extremely closely with the county’s IT team.” He adds, “Basically, it was like combining two projects into one.”
Lester also notes that new technology was installed in the courthouse’s custody areas. The holding zones span about three floors and include command centers and remotely operated elevators. These allow inmates to be securely transferred into assigned courtrooms.
Another essential aspect of the project was ensuring the safety of judges and integrating robust security features throughout the courthouse.
COMMUNITY CONNECTION
Because the courthouse sat directly behind a neighborhood, the Ajax team ensured construction remained sensitive to the area. They clearly marked roadways to prevent any obstruction to residential traffic. According to Lester, maximizing local engagement also meant working with a local architect and subcontractors, as well as involving the community. The crew coordinated with Santa Rosa County and followed its rules to schedule slab pours at specific times of day. “We discussed with the subcontractors how they could access and exit the project site and their unique routes in order to avoid interfering with the school’s timetable, because there was a school nearby as well,” Lester adds.
It was also crucial to present the courthouse as a warm and welcoming place. According to Bitterling, “the creation of the lobby was crucial to the county.” She adds, “We talked about maintaining the highest level of security while also considering how the public should view the building and their initial thoughts when they entered.”
CONTINUOUS LEARNING
The team finished the project on time in spite of supply chain issues as well as other factors including Hurricane Sally and COVID-19. As justice keeps changing, so too does Ajax’s collaboration and communication across all of their endeavors.
“We keep ourselves ahead of the curve and prepared for whatever the future may bring by creating a running tab of lessons learned every time we establish a judicial facility or with any project,” Bitterling explains. “Throughout this project, our team did a fantastic job of identifying what was critical and expressing it effectively. Our clients are our top priority at every level, from strategy to design.
Project Details
Location: Santa Rosa Co., FL
Size: 115,000sf
Client: Santa Rosa County Board of County Commissioners
Architects: Sam Marshall Architects/HOK
Engineers: Schmidt Consulting Group (structural); HG Engineers (electrical); McKim & Creed (civil)
Sector: Government
