At the time the decision was made to build a new courthouse in downtown Phoenix, more than 40,000 criminal cases were being filed annually in Maricopa County. The existing courthouse was operating beyond capacity and not only was a growing backlog of cases a concern, the continuance of safely transporting defendants and the lack of space to house jurors for the growing number of cases were as well.

The tower was the county’s single largest financial project in history being, designed to sixteen floors, including two underground floors. At 682,000 square feet, the tower houses 32 criminal courtrooms made accessible by its location in downtown Phoenix. The design of the court tower’s plazas and gardens draws inspiration from the historic plazas of Maricopa county, the streams and rivers of the Sonoran Desert, and the surrounding urban context, which manifests in linear strata-like bands of paving, rugged planting, and lush bioswales. Shaded seating areas punctuate the lines of the plaza, while salvaged concrete retaining walls accentuate them at level changes. Overall, the project demonstrates sustainability in the desert and the capacity for interstitial urban environments to provide a place of respite for its citizens.