Kent County 63rd District Courthouse | Grand Rapids, MI

New construction of this two-story, high-security facility houses six prisoner detention cells, with detention frames and glass as well as private meeting areas with detention glass for lawyers and prisoners. There is a Salleyport entrance for transferring prisoners. A prisoners-only elevator goes from the lower holding cells to the upper holding cells. The exterior is brick and block over a steel structure. Floor finishes consist of tile, exposed concrete and carpet. Wall finishes consist of exposed block with epoxy paint, painted drywall, and tile. Some areas of the building have in-floor heating. All the walls are soundproofed between courtrooms and conference rooms and public areas.  

Judges have the ability to lockdown the entire building from the bench. There is bulletproof drywall at the judge’s bench as well as private bulletproof safe rooms within each judge’s chambers.  

The building is designed and constructed so the public cannot access any area except public areas without employee escort. Dry system fireproofing is installed for records storage. Employees have private parking and a private entrance.  

Well lit with natural light, the 63rd District Courthouse incorporates many sustainable building features. It contains a Geothermal heating and cooling system from 45 wells that were drilled 300 feet into the ground.