Project: Travis County Civil & Family Courts Facility
>>> The scope of work on the new twelve-story Travis County Civil and Family Courts Facility includes the main lobby; grand stairs; level one and two public corridors and elevator lobbies; level three through twelve elevator lobbies with accompanying corridors; and 25 courtrooms on levels six through twelve.
The corridors and elevator lobbies are all clad in honed silver travertine installed in a vein-matching pattern. This installation technique for the 200-foot long corridors was difficult to execute with each piece requiring a specific location on the wall. The outcome is quite impressive since all the veining runs continuously from one end to the other, giving the appearance of one long piece of stone hewn from the mountain.
The wall behind the judge’s bench in each of courtrooms is adorned with polished white marble. The white and gray color of this stone creates the perfect backdrop for displaying the official seal and the United States and Texas flags.
The most eye-catching component of the main lobby is the travertine grand stairs and the feature wall which is clad in 4”-thick vein-matched silver travertine. The stone pieces are set at three different depths, giving the look of varying thickness across the wall. The stair treads, risers and stringers are mitered and epoxied together to give the appearance of one solid cubic piece rather than several thin veneer pieces. Behind the feature wall is an escalator that runs from the first floor to the second floor. The walls that surround this escalator are clad in vein-matched silver travertine which allows you to follow the veining around all four walls without interruption.
The incorporation of the various types of stone and veining techniques; and the precise placement of the stones results in a thoughtfully designed facility that will serve Travis County for decades.