For its thoughtful, beautiful and functional solutions to complex justice design issues, the United States Courthouse in Cedar Rapids was recently named one of eight recipients of the Justice Facilities Review Award from The American Institute of Architects Academy of Architecture for Justice. The courthouse was designed by William Rawn Associations and OPN Architects. Baker Group was chosen to provide collaborative design and installation of heating, cooling, plumbing, automation, wiring, fire alarm and security integration for this award-winning facility.

AIA’s award citation stated: “A courthouse must simultaneously respond to the needs of individual petitioners and address broad societal issues. It must convey authority, but still connect to its community as the source of that authority. Its processes must be transparent and open to all citizens in our democratic society. The new United States Courthouse (290,000 gross square feet) for the Northern District of Iowa strives to meet these high aims in a welcoming, daylight-infused building. … The project is a model for design rigor that also balances budget control and successful delivery.”