The Conco Companies are providing concrete services for the new U.S. Federal Courthouse under construction in Downtown Los Angeles. Known as the “Cube” for its unique shape, the $400 million project will be one of the safest buildings in terms of bomb threats or earthquakes with an innovative design that permits the cubic volume to “float” over a stone base. The project broke ground in August 2013 and is scheduled to be finished in 2016. Located on a 3.6-acre site, the 10-story courthouse will include 24 courtrooms and 32 chambers for judges as well as housing district judges, jury assembly facilities, and offices for the U.S. Marshals. The 630,000 GSF building will also have one level of below-grade parking.

To address the issue of the courthouse’s California location, seismic design was a part of the structural engineering process. SOM designed and engineered a state-of-the-art roof truss system to control lateral drifts. The project has already earned a Green Good Design award for Green Architecture in 2014.

More info on this project at our blog: The “Topping Out” of the New U.S. Federal Courthouse in LA