Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1385297
J U N E 2 0 2 1 | 61 Abbotsford Law Courts P H OTO G R A P H Y CO U RT E SY M I N I S T RY O F C I T IZEN S' S ERV I C E S ABBOTSFORD LAW COURTS by ROBIN BRUNET B ritish Columbia's courthouses have been upgraded, expanded, and renovated over the years, but the Abbotsford Law Courts project represents the first time in almost two decades that the province has invested in an entirely new law court facility. Designed to meet the increasing demand for judicial services in one of B.C.'s fastest-growing regions, the 180,000-square-foot, $157.9-million building contains 14 courtrooms: eight Provincial Court courtrooms, three Supreme Court courtrooms, and three rooms suitable for case conferences, restorative justice, and Indigenous justice cases. Situated in Abbotsford's Civic Precinct, the four-storey facility also incorporates the BC Prosecution Service, Community Corrections, a Justice Access Centre, as well as a three-level cast-in-place parkade. Michael Masson, director, Workplace Development Services at the Ministry of Citizens' Services, says the project began when the B.C. Attorney General approached his min- istry with regards to the Abbotsford region. "The services we determined would be necessary moving for- ward was a conversation that lasted a year, after which we retained WZMH Architects to create iterations for a new court facility." The project would be delivered under a design, build, finance, and maintain structure. The 28-month period from financial close to the mandated con- struction completion deadline was considered aggressive for the project's scope, but Plenary and PCL worked together to establish an efficient schedule and ultimately proposed that design development activities take place immediately following notifica- tion of preferred proponent. "This was truly a collaborative effort, and every- thing Plenary and PCL did made our jobs easier," says Masson. Nicola Casciato, principal, WZMH Architects, says that shortly after his company was retained as the design lead in 2017, it quickly became clear that "the design impetus revolved around creating a simple building, easy to navigate, and with plenty of