Planning Moves Ahead on $137 Million Federal Courthouse in Des Moines

By Jacqueline Tortorello

DES MOINES, Iowa — Congress recently approved a plan to construct a new federal courthouse in Des Moines valued at $137 million. The project, which is aiming for LEED Gold, is on track to break ground in 2019, according to an announcement made by U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Nov. 22.

Atlanta-based Mack Scogin Merril Elam Architects and Des Moines-based Neumann Monson Architects have been selected to lead the 230,000-square-foot construction project that attracted bids from architecture firms all over the country. GSA plans to solicit general contractors by fall 2017 and early into 2018, according to Tanya Roman, a spokesperson at GSA. In addition, the GSA plans to identify a site by spring 2017, according to Roman.

According to initial plans from the GSA, the courthouse will feature nine courtrooms and will replace the 87-year-old courthouse and a leased office annex located on the east bank of the Des Moines River. It’s likely that the courthouse will be modeled after previous federal courthouse designs that featured a number of sustainable components used to reduce energy consumption, maintain the building’s temperature and help the city save money on energy use.

“It is difficult to predict exactly what features will be part of the design at this point in the project,” said Roman. “The goal of the project is to achieve LEED Gold certification and SITES Silver certification.”

A construction site has not been officially selected but federal officials are planning to designate the location by fall 2017. Federal officials won’t say how many sites have been selected for review but construction must be complete by 2022 so federal judges can begin hearing cases. Until then, the GSA intends to keep reviewing multiple site proposals.

The GSA established criteria for the site and issued a Request for Expressions of Interest in July 2016, according to Roman. Since then, the GSA received responses to the request and is currently evaluating the submissions.

As the project moves forward, federal officials hope to the new sustainable courthouse will serve the community for years to come.