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Multnomah County‘s future courthouse, planned as a 17-story building at the Hawthorne Bridge‘s west end, promises to become an iconic structure in Portland; however, security issues are complicating the design process.

The first of two design advice hearings for the courthouse took place last week; the project team will return before the Portland Design Commission on June 16.

Planned for a site between Southwest Jefferson and Madison streets, and Southwest First Avenue and Naito Parkway, the courthouse will overlook the Willamette River. The building will stand out in Portland’s skyline, city planner Staci Monroe said.

The 435,000-square-foot, L-shaped courthouse will hug a small, viewable garden and feature limestone panels and a curtain wall. The main entry, on First Avenue, will be three stories and fully glazed.

But inmates must be transferred at secure locations and ground-floor windows must be opaque. That means less activity and interest for pedestrians at the street level, which is the biggest concern of city staffers, Monroe said.

鈥淚t’s overly driven by the program, and modifications are needed,鈥� she said.

Preservation of views of the river from upper floors may be costly, Monroe stated in her staff report

鈥淲hile the parti is strong and the glazed east fa莽ade is elegant, the efforts to put in the hierarchy of views of the mountain seem to be at the expense of the ground floor,鈥� she stated.

County courthouse senior project manager J.D. Deschamps and SRG Partnership senior associate Bjorn Clouten said that for the design, priority was given to citizens’ experience of the building.

鈥淚t’s an incredibly tight space, but it’s also dynamic and exciting and needs to connect to the east side, the park, the river and downtown, but most important, to people,鈥� Clouten said.

The courthouse will hold 44 courtrooms, he said, and offer plenty of space for other uses.

鈥淲e’ll have a queuing area for 105 people, so you won’t have to wait outside in the rain,鈥� he said.

Art is being considered for the building, Clouten said. One possibility is a sculpture in the garden or another area.

And although the design is modern, a courthouse feel will come from limestone panels, transparent glass and metal accents, he said.

鈥淟imestone just says courthouse, but we are using it in a very modern way,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 wanted to give it a lyrical quality but evocative of the human condition.鈥�

The courtrooms will be clad in wood, Clouten said, for 鈥渁 feel that should be rooted in history but looking to the future.鈥�

Commissioner Tad Savinar said he understands the complexities posed by the building’s site and uses, but added that the commission has to consider the exterior.

鈥淭his is a community landmark and we want to do what we can as fast as we can, but staff has some pretty substantial concerns,鈥� he said.

The courthouse will be built against the east wall of the Jefferson Station, a three-story historic landmark that will take on some courthouse functions. Staffers sought to make sure the two buildings relate to each other appropriately. They also requested more suggestions for improving an open green space to the north.

Commissioner Julie Livingston praised the design team for 鈥渦sing an architectural solution鈥� to hide rooftop elements by extending the curtain wall 12 feet, but added that she was concerned because Naito Parkway attracts many pedestrians.

Commissioners also discussed the locations of sally ports for inmate transfer on Jefferson Street and Naito Parkway. Livingston asked why the doors were wider for the port on Jefferson Street, and Clouten said it was because the Multnomah County sheriff wants to be able to bring in buses and trucks, which require a wider berth for turning.

At the end of the two-hour hearing, Savinar said he didn’t want to slow the process, but there was still much work to be done on the design.

鈥淭he entry is great, but everything else needs to change,鈥� he said.