Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole U.S. Courthouse and Federal Building

As part of the General Services Administration (GSA) Design Excellence program, Buro Happold along with Gensler architects have set to work renovating this 140,000sqft five story courthouse and 600,000sqft nine story federal building. Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the project is split into two parts. Part 1 is the courthouse including one level of the Federal Building and Part 2 is the remaining eight levels of the Federal Building and Car Park.

The purpose of renovating the Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaiole U.S Courthouse and Federal Building built in 1978  is to transform the existing building into a high-performance green building and to provide an efficient and model interior for the existing federal tenants. The complete remodel includes the internal space, upgrade of the glazing system and mitigation of the air infiltration issues.

This Recovery Act project proposes much needed renovation to the PJKK building that will meet the GSA sustainability targets of LEED silver and an energy target of 39kBTU/sqft. The energy modelling has demonstrated an improvement in the existing building of 19% above ASHRAE 90.1.2007.

The design solutions have been developed around a phased construction schedule to maintain the operations of the building occupants. A ‘swing’ space will be constructed under Part 1 to accommodate the moves required to complete the renovation. Buro Happold introduced an atrium to deliver natural light into the deep plan floor plates. Buro Happold is fully coordinating the construction documentation in a BIM model (REVIT). Other design issues include the project phasing to keep the building operational during the construction.

Buro Happold is responsible for the mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineering as well as the sustainability strategies to achieve the project goals of LEED Silver and an energy target mandated by the GSA of 39kBTU/sqft.

The introduction of an atrium through the nine storeys, has allowed daylight to flow deep into the building. Daylight modelling is being used extensively to further refine the design of the atrium to reflect daylight through to the lowest levels including investigations into the use of heliostats to track the sun and reflect light into the atrium. Light reflecting shelves are also being investigated. The atrium is being supported by solar tubes around the perimeter of the building where setbacks create the opportunity for daylight to be introduced vertically.

• Renovation of 140,000sqft courthouse and 600,000sqft federal building
• Will meet LEED Silver target and an energy target of 39kBTU/sqft
• Construction documentation in a BIM model (REVIT)

Related Disciplines

• Building services engineering