Utah State Courts

Utah Judicial System Master Plan for Capital Facilities

Section III - Judicial Space Standards

This section provides an extensive (though by no means all-inclusive) list of Court related spaces and defines key design criteria for each. The information is presented in tabular form and is divided into the major categories of:

1. Litigation and Support	see pages 42-65
2. Judicial Office and Support	see pages 66-70
3. Court Program Office and Staff	see pages 71-80
4. Clerk Office and Support	see pages 81-87
5. Court Support	see pages 88-93
6. Building Support	see pages 94-98

These criteria should be observed in all Courthouse design projects in the State unless specific exemption is provided by the AOC in writing. These criteria should be understood as minimum requirements.

Usage Guide and Key

A series of tables are provided for each of the categories noted above. These tables are divided into columns and groups of columns that define first, categories of criteria related to each space and second, specific requirements within the categories that should be provided for the listed spaces. Following is a key to each category and the notations made within each.

Space - lists the specific spaces for which criteria are provided. In some cases, spaces are grouped to indicate similarities and functional clusters.

Area - provides the area requirement for the space in Net Square Feet (NSF). This is the actual working space of an office, workstation or piece of equipment exclusive of circulation required to use it. Additional definitions and grossing factors required to convert NSF to Departmental Gross Square Feet (DGSF) and then to Building Gross Square Feet (BGSF) are provided later in this Usage Guide.

Dimensions - indicates the width, length and in some cases the height requirements for the listed spaces if these dimensions are known and are important to preserve.

Seating - provides either a seating requirement for the space or an NSF/person factor to be used in calculating seating.

Description/Use/Assignment - gives additional details about the listed space and its intended use or the way in which it is to be assigned.

Technology - This category provides three general areas of documentation:

Equipment - This cluster of columns identifies types of technology related equipment that can be anticipated to be assigned to the room or workstation listed and is intended to alert the planner/designer to functional interests and related equipment for which preparation should be made.

Applications - Specific technology applications anticipated for the listed space are numerically referenced to the following list;

1. Records Management
2. Case Management
3. Office Systems
4. Internet Access
5. Evidence Presentation
6. Legal Research
7. Court Reporting
8. Video Conferencing/Proceeding (arraignment, trial)
9.Public Information
10. Electronic Filing
11. Imaging (video trial)

Infrastructure - The need for specific types of connections are documented:

• Data Port refers to a hard wire link to a local computer system.
• Video connection refers to a link to a local video camera, recorder or monitor as might be expected in the CIC.
• Remote Data Link refers to potential connection (by whatever system) to off site computer or database.
• Remote Video Link refers to connection by whatever means to an off-site camera, monitor or recorder as in video conferencing or video proceedings.

Security - This category identifies a series of special provisions as follows:

Zone Assignment - By numerical reference, the space should be located in either:

1.Public Zone
2.Interface Zone
3.Private Zone
4.Prisoner Zone

Controlled Access - a mark here indicates that the space requires some type of access control provision such as keyed entry, card access or staff entry.

Duress Alarm - a mark here indicates the need for this room or workstation to be provided with a duress alarm linked to appropriate security response personnel.

Camera Surveillance - indicates the need for coverage by a security camera whether alarm activated or continuous.

Audio Monitoring - indicates the need for remote audio monitoring whether alarm activated or at will.

Special Locks - indicates the need for a non-standard lock such as a remote lock or detention lock or cipher lock.

Special Alarms - indicates the need for installation of a special alarm system such as a motion detector, door open alarm or unauthorized card access.

Acoustics - This category provides guidance in three areas:

Standard - A mark in this column indicates that there are no special requirements for the space and typical office standard provisions may be made unless otherwise required by these or other State standards or directives.

Special  - documents specific requirements for certain spaces in four categories:

• Reverberation - used to indicate the need to deaden a room so as to enhance recording clarity.
• Noise Reduction Coefficient - provides a measure of the required sound absorption for materials used in a given space to reduce noise.
• Noise Criteria - provides a measure of the background noise that must be provided to isolate sound in one space from another.
• Sound Transmission Class - designates the acoustical requirements for partitions or floor structures to eliminate or reduce sound transmission between spaces.

Amplification - Documents the need for specific rooms or locations to have public address capability or to indicate that sound in that area will be recorded.

HVAC - This category notes standard HVAC provisions for most spaces and where a special condition exists, indicates by remark what that provision needs to be. Standard HVAC provisions to comply with current DFCM standards.

Lighting - This category is divided into two groups:

General - notes the need for standard lighting and or task lighting.

Emergency - indicates the need for a particular space to be on the emergency lighting system (as in Courtrooms) and whether or not there is a need for the space to be on the emergency power system to preserve critical operational capability during a power outage (as in the security systems and data systems).

Communications - Identifies specific communications technologies which should be provided for listed spaces.

Fixtures - Documents built-in features such as public seating in courtrooms as distinct from furniture.

Furniture - Indicates for some areas the normal items that would be provided as furniture (such as counsel tables in the Courtroom) and would not be included in the Fixtures section.

Finishes - Three specific areas are covered:

Walls - Numerical reference to one of the following:

1.Standard - d rywall and paint
2.Special - high quality wall covering or paneling or combination wainscot and standard

Floors - Numerical reference to the following:

1.Typical
2.Raised
3.Carpet
4.Unfinished

Ceilings - Numerical reference to the following:

1.Suspended
2.Secure
3.Other