Hanford Courthouse - Kings County Superior Court

Hanford, CA

Designed as a window to the agricultural vistas of the surrounding region and mountains in the distance, the Kings County Superior Courthouse features a stunning 4-story vertical circulation stair allowing light to permeate the building through the expansive curtain wall façade. Although airy and open, the structure supporting the courthouse features enhanced threat protection including a perimeter steel moment frame system that is designed to mitigate progressive collapse in a catastrophic event while maximizing the open area of the structure. Buehler performed a unique staged-load analysis to realistically represent progressive collapse and efficiently design the structure to prevent it.