New Home of Georgia’s Judicial Branch
The State of Georgia’s Nathan Deal Judicial Center is the first state-building in the history of Georgia devoted entirely to the judiciary. The seven-story, 224,500 SF facility houses the Supreme Court of Georgia, the Georgia Court of Appeals, and the newly created state-wide Business Court. This significant facility was designed to complement the State Capitol Building (Edbrooke and Burnham built circa 1889) and expand the Capitol Hill District across from Capitol Avenue. SSOE partnered with Robert A.M. Stern Architects to design a facility in the classical architectural approach that symbolizes the dignity of the courts from the beginnings of the republic.
State Leadership
The placement and orientation of the building is directly on axis with the dome of the State Capitol Building and the curved façade responds to the prominent Capital Avenue, Memorial Drive, and 1-20, I-75 / 85 intersections. Like the Capitol’s Legislative Chamber, the building features a central atrium that is elliptical, 112-feet in height, and connects six floors. The Supreme Court and Court of Appeals Courtrooms open onto the atrium that also provides stunning views of Capitol Hill and Downtown Atlanta and beyond.
SSOE worked in partnership with the courts, the Georgia State Financing and Investment Commission (GSFIC), the Georgia Building Authority, and the Georgia State Properties Office from programming and planning, site selection, design, and construction over 10 years to complete this historic commission. Employing energy-efficient HVAC systems, LED lighting, water-saving devices, and Georgia-sourced materials including granite and marble, the facility is one of few in Georgia to achieve a three out of four Peaches in the Georgia Peach Green Building Rating System.
“This is a magnificent architectural achievement that should evoke pride in the entire state … it embodies the ideals of our courts, as well as Governor [Nathan] Deal’s deeply personal commitment to criminal justice reform and to this great state.”
Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, U.S. Supreme Court, at Nathan Deal Judicial Center Dedication Ceremony
