SACRAMENTO—Following a lengthy design and construction process, the new Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye Sacramento County Courthouse appears set for a fall opening. The venue was designed by NBBJ and is being built by Clark Construction.
Made up of 18 floors and 53 courtrooms, the building comprises an entire city block and houses the court’s criminal and civil operations, in addition to a spacious jury assembly room, food services and civil settlement center. The facility, which is targeting LEED Gold specifications, will also consolidate three separate administrations under one roof.
The courthouse showcases a glass curtain wall cladding on the north side, inviting natural sunlight in the public corridors and offering views of the American River.
At their most basic essence, courthouses provide space for judicial proceedings to occur—but must also extend an outward appearance that inspires the community’s respect for the justice system. The Tani Cantil-Sakauye Sacramento County Courthouse seeks to achieve these goals by replacing an outdated downtown courthouse with a modern new facility that should bring a refreshed prosperity to the region while also meeting the judicial needs of its growing population.
The new facility is named in honor of Tani Gorre Cantil-Sakauye, the 28th Chief Justice of California; she served as the Chief Justice from 2011 to 2023 and was the first Filipina American and second woman to hold the esteemed position.
Client Name: Judicial Council of California
Square Footage: 540,000 SF
Program: 53 courtrooms, high performance workplace, high security design, complex program
NBBJ Project Services: Architecture, programming, planning, interior design, lighting, wayfinding, furniture
Phase: Construction (Clark Construction)
Sustainability: Targeting LEED Gold
