an interactive multimedia database of u.s. courthouses 1 courtsweb, is a website that evaluates and...

An Interactive Multimedia Database of U.S. Courthouses1

CourtsWeb, is a website that evaluates and documents recent federal courthouses. It is a decision support tool that allows a complex set of stakeholders involved with a federal project to develop a common language and base of experience.

Opening Page

The user is presented with three alternative routes to explore the contents of the database i.e. browse, search, and compare. A help icon is provided for further assistance


Under browse, search, and compare, the user inquires about the contents of courthouses that are in the data base. Content includes interactive comments combined with pictorial metaphors.

Opening Page

The user inquires about the contents under “Help”; Interactive comments combined with pictorial metaphors point to the contents of each directory


Browse Page

The major navigational tool for exploration of the website is a map of the US that indicates the courthouses in the database


Each Dot represents a city where a courthouse is located. Dragging the mouse over the dot will highlight it with the name of the city. Clicking on it will navigate to the main page of the courthouse. White dots indicate detailed cases, blue dots indicate abbreviated cases.

Browse Page

Alternatively, the user can select a courthouse through the QUICK SEARCH list that also displays the courthouses in the database


Browse Page

Search, compare and help functions are available at all levels of the navigational structures of the database


Courthouse LevelStructure

Once a courthouse is selected, the site defaults to the main page of the courthouse, showing lists and tabs which navigate to the available information on the particular courthouse

An Interactive Multimedia Database of U.S. Courthouses

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Courthouse LevelLists

The different areas of the courthouse are organized by functional zone i.e. public zone, courtroom zone, and private zone. These zones are presented in a list at the left of the screen


A panoramic, interactive 360 degree view of the main elevation of the courthouse and the surrounding context

Courthouse LevelTabs

Different types of information, including images, statistics, models, drawings, and others, are organized in tabs at the top of the interface


Courthouse Level

Information

The information page gives an overview of the general information regarding the courthouse e.g. construction date, design team, construction cost, etc.

An Interactive Multimedia Database of U.S. Courthouses

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Program provides information about zoning, circulation, elevations, art work, etc.

System provides information about procurement and finishing materials

Courthouse Level

Program

Clicking on the hot links on the program page opens windows that display analytic diagrams of the courthouse - such as a circulation or zoning diagram


Scrolling down the page will show further information about the courthouse

Courthouse Level

Statistics

Statistics provides areas of functional and circulation spaces by floor


Courthouse Level

3D Model

3D model of the courthouse. Each floor’s design and internal configuration is shown by scrolling down the FLOORS scroll bar to the right. Clicking on the further information hot links will open a window with additional information


Model has been altered for security reasons

Courthouse Level

Drawings

The drawing tab explores drawings of the various plans and sections of the courthouse; drawings are described by text and small thumbnails for preview


Clicking on the drawing will open a navigational window with detailed design information in pdf format (plan has been blurred for security reasons)

Courthouse Level

Interactive Plans

Interactive plans are floor plans shaded to display public, private and secure zones and circulation


Clicking on the plan will open a window with the possibility of zooming in and out, along with coloring the different zones and circulation systems using the icons to the right

Site and Context

Information the context of the courthouse e.g. urban conditions, location, surrounding buildings, etc.


The window defaults to a panoramic, interactive 360 degree view of the site

Site and Context

Information

Information on the context of the courthouse e.g. urban conditions, location, surrounding buildings, etc.


Program provides information regarding setbacks, adjacent public spaces, and public art works

Systems provides information about the security system around the courthouse

Public Zone

The public zone contains views of public spaces in the courthouse, including the lobby, jury assembly, roof garden, and law library. In this case the atrium of the courthouse was selected.


The window defaults to an interactive 360 degree view of the zone selected

Site and Context

Drawings

Site and context drawings provide figure-ground maps which represent civic open spaces, civic buildings, and parking spaces


Clicking on the thumbnails at the bottom of the page replaces the main map with maps presenting civic buildings, civic spaces, and parking

Courtroom Zone

The courtroom zone contains information regarding the different types of courtrooms found in each courthouse. The elements within each courtroom are described through photos, text, and drawings.


The window defaults to an interactive 360 degree view of the courtroom as it looks from the judge’s bench - clicking on the thumbnails at the bottom displays views from the other elements in the courtroom

Courtroom Level

Information

The information tab provides general, program, and system information regarding program, access, site lines, acoustics, materials, temperature and humidity, security, etc.


Courtroom Level

Statistics

The statistics tab provides areas of circulation spaces, the judge’s chambers, the gallery, etc.


Courtroom Level

Interactive Plans

The interactive plans display the basic plan of the courtroom. Information icons floating in the plan are linked to brief descriptions e.g. location of the courtroom, dimensions of elements, etc.


The icons to the right of the plan show courtroom’s location within the courthouse, dimensions, and elements

Courtroom Level

Elements

Under each courtroom type, the elements for that courtroom are listed, including, bench, witness box, jury box, lectern, and attorney table


The window defaults to an interactive 360 degree view of the courtroom from the selected element

Courtroom Level

Element Information

Information about each element including work surface dimensions and finishes


Courtroom Level

Element Drawings

A detailed drawing of each element showing dimensions


This drawing shows the detailed drawing of a judge’ bench

Private Zone

The private zone contains views of private spaces in the courthouse, including the judge’s chamber, grand jury room, and library


The window defaults to an interactive 360 degree view of the zone selected

Clicking on any of the thumbnails will lead to a different judge’s chamber of a different courtroom

Evaluation

Lessons Learned

The lessons learned page provides general, program, and systems


Information found within this page represent both positive and negative comments regarding different aspects of the courthouse design e.g. architectural expression, acoustics, access, sight lines, etc

Evaluation

Lessons Learned

Within the lessons learned page, one can also find information regarding the users’ evaluation of their built environment


These windows have the users’ comments about the location of their offices, its design, and the relation of the courthouse to the neighboring community. These comments provide a valuable resource for future designs from a users’ point of view

Search

The search page provides for keyword searching by courthouse or courtroom criteria. The page defaults on the courthouse search criteria.


The window defaults to the courthouse search criteria

Courthouse Search

The courthouse search page provides for keyword searching by defining courthouse search criteria.


The courthouse search criteria is defined by selecting keyword from lists under the categories of # of Courtrooms, Cost, Built-Up Area, # of Courtrooms/Floor, # of Floors, Construction Completion Date, and Courtroom-Chamber Relationship.

Clicking the search button leads to the courthouses matching the defined criteria.

Courthouse Search Results

The courthouse search results page provides the resultant courthouses from the defined search criteria.


The defined courthouse search criteria is shown first, followed by all the courthouses matching that criteria.

Clicking on the title link leads to the browse page of the corresponding courthouse.

Courtroom Search

The courtroom search page provides for keyword searching by defining courthouse search criteria.


The courtroom search criteria is defined by selecting keyword from lists under the categories of Courtroom Type, Shape, Bench Location, Witness Box Location, Jury Box Depth, and Natural Light.

Clicking the search button leads to the courtrooms matching the defined criteria.

Courtroom Search Results

The courtroom search results page provides the resultant courtrooms from the defined search criteria.


The defined courtroom search criteria is shown first, followed by all the courtrooms matching that criteria.

Clicking on the title link leads to the browse page of the corresponding courthouse.

Compare

The compare function defaults to web page on the courthouse level. The user can select a courthouse on the left side and on the right side by clicking on the drop down menu.


Clicking on the compare button opens a new window where the selected courthouses are displayed side by side

Compare

The compare function defaults to the main webpage of each courthouse; where an interactive 360 degree frontal view of the courthouse is shown


The user can select another courthouse by clicking on the drop down menu and changing his initial selection

Compare

The user can change the level of courthouse attributes by clicking on the drop down menu. The drop down menu has the same structure as the left side bar on the regular browse page i.e. it contains the courthouse level, the public zone, the courtroom zone, etc


The user can click on the buttons on top to change the type of information he/she is looking for e.g. information, drawings, statistics, etc

Compare

This is an example of a user comparing between the 3D models of two courthouses.


Future Compare function

Within the new version of the website, the user can compare the attributes of a courthouse to either one other courthouse, or to the whole sample in the data base. More quantitative analytical data can be found in the new version of the compare function. This is a sample of the results that can be obtained


In this example, the courthouses re being ranked by one attribute i.e. the gross built up area giving the user a more elaborate idea about the ranking of a certain courthouse within a selected sample

an interactive multimedia database of u.s. courthouses 1 courtsweb, is a website that evaluates and...

Documents

information page

help interactive comments

main page

particular courthouse

opening page

courthouses3browse page

program page

courthouses5browse page