"Good Design enhances people's lives. When it is combined with the forces of public architecture, good design becomes a symbol of our civic pride," John D. Anderson, FAIA, told a packed house gathered for the presentation of the General Services Administration's 2000 Design Awards, March 29 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, in Washington, D.C.

Anderson made special mention of Richard Meier, FAIA's, design of the Sandra Day O'Connor Courthouse in Phoenix, one of 18 award winners, as a "wonderful example of how [GSA's] program works." "All who walk through [its] doors will feel the full majesty of the law," he said of the structure, which features a main public space 350 feet long by 150 feet wide by 120 feet high.

Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who followed Anderson on the podium, echoed his themes of the power of architecture to uplift the public's spirit-and of praise for the federal courthouse named for her.

"It gives the visitor the impression of openness, of access to justice, of light, and of a tranquil place in which to resolve the sometimes very difficult and contentious issues that come up in our courts," she said.

O'Connor praised Meier's involvement of Chief Judge Robert C. Broomfield in the design, noting "Good architecture always has to take into account, and in detail, the uses and the needs of those who are going to occupy the space."

Noting that there were a number of funding requests for additional federal courthouse construction pending, O'Connor added the plea: "I hope all new facilities will pay attention not only to the space requirements and needs, but to the aesthetic needs and to the impression given to all who enter." She added, "I think we will be better satisfied as a nation if we can look with pride at the buildings constructed with public funds and know that those buildings are functional as well as handsome, and that they contribute to the appearance of the city in which they are located and to the uses of the community they serve."

Click on photos at right to view large images taken from the 2000 GSA Design Awards publication. Credits: Richard Meier, Richard Meier & Partners, Architects; Michael Schroeder, Langdon Wilson Architecture; Pacific Rim Region, Public Buildings Service, U.S. General Services Administration.

Copyright 2001 The American Institute of Architects. All rights reserved.