After more than 30 years of use in their courts complex, Dakota County took on major renovations and a small addition to its judicial campus in 2016 including the creation of a new Juvenile Court suite. The resulting design compressed all operations into the former cafeteria space to provide separation for sensitive juvenile cases from the rest of the Judicial Center activity. After five years of existing in too small of a space, Wold was hired to explore how to remedy the space issues.
Following a collaborative Core Group process with all stakeholders participating, a solution was found which converted all former waiting space to four additional conference rooms; created separate County Attorney, Public Defender, and Social Services work areas; and relocated the Court Check-in Counter and court waiting into the building’s atrium. The Check-in Counter needed to be secure but open to avoid costly ventilation modifications and needed to blend aesthetically with the unique brutalist building lobby.