BE&K Building Group, together with joint venture partners Turner and Walter B. Davis Company, Inc., was responsible for constructing the new nine-story Mecklenburg County Courthouse. The 568,000 sf facility is the largest county courthouse in the state. The structure includes 35 finished courtrooms, as well as 12 additional courtrooms that came ready to be furnished and staffed when the need arises.
The triangular-shaped building features recessed windows, and has inspirational quotes etched into the granite and limestone exterior. The low entrance opens into a grand atrium allowing sunlight to stream through the large windows. Interior stone and marble imported from Italy, Portugal and Zimbabwe add to the architectural appeal.
A garden located off the atrium is visible to the public, while judges enjoy the roof gardens on the fourth and eighth floors. Nine levels are connected by six oversized elevators and a circular staircase.
Erecting a facility this size in the heart of Charlotte presented various challenges for our construction team. Prior to demolition of the existing courthouse parking deck in 2003, provisions were made to reroute vehicle, pedestrian and civil courthouse employee traffic. In addition, the project required finding alternate parking locations for vehicles that had been using this parking location.
Following demolition, work began on the new underground tunnel, which links the existing jail with the new courthouse. This tunnel allows for secure transportation of inmates between these two buildings. During construction, our team had to overcome the major obstacle of trenching through one of the busiest streets in Charlotte — they had only the three-day Memorial Day Weekend to accomplish this task. Beginning late Friday afternoon, they coordinated blasting operations, excavation around utility work, precise installation of the precast concrete sections, backfilling, and paving of the road, which needed to be open by Tuesday morning for workday traffic. Due to the diverse depths of the foundation of the building and proximity of the new courthouse to nearby streets and existing buildings, excavation
