Clackamas County Courthouse

DLR Group’s design of the new Clackamas County Courthouse connects the building and its occupants to the Pacific Northwest culture of the environment and green initiatives. It will be located on the Red Soils campus in Oregon City, which is named for the rich forest soils of the Willamette Valley that provide the region with bountiful farms and vineyards as well as the Douglas fir and Oregon white oak forests that need protecting while the population and infrastructure expands.

The project will help Clackamas County’s operational aspirations for carbon neutrality, complying with the Oregon Green Energy Technology program by integrating technology to produce at least 25% of the building’s energy onsite. The materials and systems within the courthouse were chosen with best practices for energy efficiency and sustainability in green building. Natural elements such as mass timber panels in the lobby and ample sunlight through vertical windows that provide direct or indirect daylight in every courtroom are incorporated into the design and reflect the beauty of Oregon. The project won IJ Global Awards’ “Social Infrastructure Deal of the Year” in 2022 for these thoughtful details and is targeting LEED 4.1 Gold certification.

Jensen Hughes was deeply involved with the project and the selected P3 team, Fengate PCL Progress Partners, during the opportunity and competitive stages. During the project pursuit, our team influenced the approach by establishing applicable code criteria related to the owner's program requirements, available mass timber construction types, and key aspects of building and fire code requirements, such as holding area and high-rise building requirements.

The foundation for the services we provided was formed during the pre-project stages. Prior to the P3 team's final proposal submittal, we participated in studies to evaluate feasibility of mass timber construction types as well as alternatives to avoid high-rise building requirements. Although these approaches were evaluated thoroughly, the final design approach is a high-rise courthouse building of non-combustible and fire-resistant construction.

Located just south of Portland, Oregon, Clackamas County’s population has grown nearly tenfold since its current courthouse was built in 1936. This increase in population has expanded the cultural focus on sustainability to this region from the larger metropolitan areas. Rather than expand the existing building which is out-of-date and no longer meets the needs of the community and the justice system, funding from a public-private partnership was secured to build a new 6-story high rise courthouse to open in 2025. This P3 funding supports increased employment and business opportunities for the local economy without the need to raise taxes.

There will be enhanced accessibility in navigation through the building with a two-story lobby whose central plaza can be seen from all areas, making it more accommodating for the public. The staff will also find it easier and more secure to work within their separate corridor system throughout the building that will allow access to all courtrooms and offices without crossing into areas for public use.

Jensen Hughes’ North American Western Region team provided code consulting, smoke control design, and fire protection expertise for the sprinkler and alarm systems for the new six-story building including specialty assessments for private and holding areas. The P3 team will operate and maintain the building for a 30-year period, implementing the high-value and low-risk life safety analysis and considerations provided by Jensen Hughes.