Prominently sited in Downtown Durham’s historic heart, the 11-story Courthouse is a beacon for the county of Durham.

With 16 courtrooms in operation, the Courthouse was designed with an expansion capacity to 24.  Circulation systems that stitch the building’s various programs together are separated into three distinct zones: public, private, and detainee.  Each of these three zones is secured by building security systems as well as the Sheriff’s office.  Access to each of the three circulation zones is limited according to user type.  Judges and select building staff have access to the private circulation zone, which includes a pair of private elevators and a private corridor on the north side of courtrooms. The courtrooms are the interface spaces, where people from all three circulation zones come together for court proceedings.