Mark Cavagnero Associates Architects

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    • Mammoth Lakes Courthouse
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    Mammoth Lakes Courthouse

    Status

    Completed, 2011

    Size

    35.000 Square Feet

    Client

    Administrative Office of the Courts

    Scope

    Design

    Project Team

    Mark Cavagnero
    Laura Blake
    Paul Davison
    Paul Loeffler

    Project Collaborators

    General Contractor: Sundt Construction
    Landscape Architect: AECOM
    Civil Engineer: Triad/ Holmes Associates
    Structural Engineer: Forell/Elsesser Engineers Inc
    MEP Engineer: Gayner Engineers
    Lighting Designer: Auerbach Glasow French
    Telecom, AV, Security, Threat Assessment: TEECOM Design Group
    Acoustical Consultant: Charles M. Salter Associates
    Court Programmer: Carter Goble Lee
    Cost Estimator: Davis Langdon (now AECOM)
    Specification Writer: Stansen Specifications
    Geotechnical Engineer: Sierra Geotechnical Services, Inc.
    Title 24 Energy: Energy Soft

    Description

    The new Mammoth Lakes Courthouse is a prominent, modern civic building set within a natural, forested setting.  Situated at the gateway to town at the corner of Highway 203 and Sierra Park Road, the courthouse is the inaugural building for a larger government center complex providing community services to the town and Mono County. 

    The courthouse is carefully sited to enhance its spectacular setting, with stunning views to Mammoth Mountain. Set back from the main thoroughfare, and surrounded by existing and new native trees along its perimeter, the building is conceived as part of the natural landscape. The building’s entry plaza is planted with a grove of deciduous aspen trees, which provide a natural buffer between the parking lot and the courthouse building.  Once mature, the trees will shade the expansive glass curtain wall in the summer while allowing sun to enter the building during the winter, and providing a colorful flourish during the autumn season. 

    In order to express its civic presence and further distinguish itself from the nearby residences and commercial buildings, the courthouse is a simple but articulated form composed of three flat roofed elements: a two-story main core, a two story public circulation spine, and a one-story building for facility support services. The wedge-shaped public circulation spine, with its highly-visible glass curtain wall extending the length of the east façade, frames the spectacular view of the mountain range to the south and its prow like north end extends and connects the building into the landscape establishing a public presence on Highway 203.  The main core is a highly efficient rectangular form and houses the majority of programmed spaces for the courts and administration, while the one-story “L”-shaped support building houses mechanical equipment, sally port and staff parking. 

    The durable exterior building materials - a combination of masonry, and weathered Corten steel - recount and harmonize with the alpine environment, while expressing the modern dignity of the judicial system and the building’s elegant sense of permanence within the community.

    Location

    Recognition

    Awards

    AIA, Justice Facilities Review, 2012
    Western Council of Construction Consumers, Project Excellence Award, 2012
    Engineering News Record, Best Government / Public Building Project, 2012

    Publications

    Retrospective of Courthouse Design, 2001-2010