The South Monterey County Courthouse will be located in the City of Greenfield to serve the fast-growing central and southern regions of the Salinas Valley. The region is defined by its landscape grids of man-made agricultural fields, vineyards, and orchards. The valley’s proximity to the ocean and mountains to both the East and the West are great advantages for the site, where the climate is generally mild year-round and mountain views are abundant.

The courthouse is comprised of a rectangular form that has a portion “sheared” away from the rest of the building. The “shearing” creates an open public space at the southwest corner of the site that relates to the entry of the City Hall.

Programmatically, the “sheared” portion contains the most public functions of the courthouse – an entry court, and the lobby on the first level and the jury assembly room on the second level. The rest of the first level includes public counters, self help, clerk areas, and other support functions. The rest of the second level includes the three courtrooms, judicial chambers, and administration functions. The courthouse will be a two-story structure. Its overall height will be fairly low to be sensitive to its low-lying neighboring buildings, yet at the same time the building massing and design will be developed to express the dignity of the court.