Steel Meets Governance

The Douglas County Justice Center in Omaha, Nebraska, supports children and families to access a variety of services under one roof, amalgamating juvenile courts, the public defender's office and the county attorney.

The complex is organized around a public courtyard filled with sculptures, benches and trees, alongside an eight-story tower building, connected by a sky bridge to the courthouse.

Its structural steel system was selected based on design preferences, speed of construction and cost. Concrete was initially considered for the youth center due to its common use for detention facilities. HDR’s design team ultimately favored steel for its lower embodied carbon.

HDR's work on the Douglas County Justice Center has been showcased in a recent edition of Modern Steel Construction in the article “Steel Meets Governance.”