Hydro-Mobile Mast Climbing work platforms used to ensure a safe install by BAC craftworkers.
on a 110-foot tall Gridworx aluminum grid system. The tower holds four court floor plates completed with judges’ chambers and jury deliberation suites. Central to the courthouse design are the stone façade and steel elements, chosen specifically as these materials are native to the Joliet area. The ALL Masonry team installed 110,00-square-feet of limestone, including 80,000 square feet of exterior stone, 20,000 interior stone and 10,000 on the exterior landscape. Limestone is prevalent throughout the building, including in the 38 courtrooms that serve criminal, civil, family, traffic and special proceedings caseload, the judge chambers, the entryway, by the escalators, and in the main vestibule.
HEIGHT OF GLORY
the scenes to help bring the project to fruition. “Will County has grown over 30% in the last 20 years,” Rossborough says. “There were judges’ seats that were not filled because there were no courtrooms to house them. There were also safety concerns over the public, judges and criminals all using the same set of elevators in the old building.”
The new Justice Center, which came in on time and under budget, replaces the existing courthouse with a modern and secure facility that not only gives the city more space and security, but also engages the public with a welcoming landscaped plaza. The 10-story limestone rain-screen system, installed by ALL Masonry Construction Group, features 80,000 square foot of limestone mounted
The design of the new courthouse seeks to convey the concept of “transparency in justice.” That concept is fittingly framed by the magnificence lime stone veneer. Rich Gallagher, foreman for ALL Masonry, oversaw the team that handled the exterior Missouri limestone rain-screen system. There were several challenges waiting for Gallagher and his team, including mounting significantly sized and weighted limestone panels on such a high structure. There also was the task of coordinating and engineering with the building envelope ISSUE 4, 2020 // 7
