 The 581,000-square-foot Mobile Government
Plaza broke new ground for government buildings everywhere. It is the nation's
first structure to combine county and city governments and the court system in
one facility.
The Plaza's design was selected from 195 entries in a
national competition sponsored by the American Institute of Architects. Houston
architects Harry Goleman and Mario Bolullo (in association with Mobile
architect Frederick C. Woods), who submitted the winning design, have created a
building that meets the diverse demands of modern government while keeping a
philosophy of public participation at the heart of their concept.
County Project Administrator Clifton Lambert says the design competition
resulted in a building that signals Mobile's future. "County leaders could have
chosen a traditional-looking design, but instead they wanted a progressive
building that would epitomize unity and combined efforts in government,"
Lambert said.
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A History
of Early
Courthouses.
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The Plaza
contains a 10-story administration building which houses offices of the city
and county, and a nine-story courts building which houses courtrooms and
offices. A massive atrium joins the two buildings.
The atrium, Bolullo
explains, is a modern take on the traditional town square, with the Plaza
opening onto its own interior town square. The space even includes a massive
set of courthouse steps. Ceremonial in function, the granite steps serve as a
performance stage for concerts and speeches or as a place to relax and have
lunch. |
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Mobile
County Commissioner Samuel L. Jones says, "We wanted a building that would be
friendly to the public, and I think we achieved that goal with this design. Of
all the areas in this building, the atrium is my favorite."
"When
people visit our county, this building gives them a positive and progressive
impression of what we are all about," adds Commissioner Gary G. Tanner.
Government buildings are often intimidating monuments with massive
columns, Goleman says. "The majority of them are designed to keep people out.
We wanted to design a building that invited people to feel a part of the
government process."
The atrium is at the core of this philosophy.
While the administrative and courts buildings are built of granite, steel and
glass, the atrium is a friendly, open space built primarily of
glass. |
"We hope the open feeling will affect every individual who walks into
it," Goleman says. "The space shows that the public is the center of government
- they are the hub of the process."
To many observers, the Plaza
reflects a nautical feel appropriate to its location overlooking the port.
Goleman says the interpretation is certainly accurate. "The port is the
life-blood of Mobile, and at a distant view the building should represent the
feeling of a port and the things that go on in a port."
While many
describe the massive roof structure as abstract sails, Bolullo says this idea
carries the nautical interpretation too far. He explains that the interesting
roof structure is inspired by the classical architectural device of a barrel
vault. "We took traditional barrel vaults and broke the space of the atrium by
dropping the barrel vaults into the space.
"We have one barrel vault
coming from the judicial building and one coming from the administrative
building, and they join with a fascinating geometry," Bolullo comments. "They
emphasize the duality and the unity of the government entities."
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The
architects are not surprised that the building has been the subject of much
comment - good and bad. "The building invites interpretation. The building has
many interpretations by many different people. It means that it's not a
mediocre building. Mediocre buildings don't spark the thought process," Goleman
says.
"This is the Mobile of today. Just as buildings of the past
represented their time, this building represents a progressive new era for
Mobile," Bolullo adds. |
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Architectural Photos by Carl V.
Kling, Jr. |
