Justice & Gvmt, Live/Work/Play

Harrison County General Services Building

Scope

New Construction

Location

Clarksburg, WV

size

72,000 gsf

Silling Architects was commissioned to design a new courthouse annex for the Harrison County Commission located in downtown Clarksburg, West Virginia. What was initially planned as a new building to house their court operations, the Commission decided during the early design stages to preserve their courtrooms in the historic courthouse and move their administrative functions to the new building. The new administration building houses the County Clerk’s Office, Assessor’s Office, Sheriff Tax, Planning, County Commission, Community Corrections, and IT Department.

 

The design solution proposes the integration of the new three-story building into the downtown fabric. Several key visual components from the surrounding Italianate Renaissance style buildings, including tall first floor windows, symmetrical windows, and a tower, are carried over into the modern and formal exterior aesthetic. The horizontality of the structure nods in the direction of the existing courthouse, and relief from the road is provided on the northwest corner to allow for pedestrian traffic and congregation between the annex and the courthouse.