Kiva: / kēvə / n. A chamber built wholly or partly underground; used by Pueblo Indians for religious rites, political meetings, and spiritual ceremonies.
The true origins of southwestern architecture can be traced back to 1200 AD when the Pueblo people constructed a city in the recesses of the Mesa Verde cliffs in Montezuma County. These 4-story buildings contained multiple dwelling units, community gathering spaces, and Kivas surrounding central courtyards. The buildings were oriented to the south with mass walls and small apertures to respond to the intense desert heat and diurnal temperature swings.
The conceptual design of the 33,000 SF Montezuma County Courthouse takes its cues from this ancestral city while also referencing the simple shed-like structures found within the current agricultural community of 26,000 citizens.
The wedge-like form of the courthouse building is orientated along an East/West axis to maximize passive energy strategies while providing views of the surrounding mountain ranges. The significant overhang on the South façade shades the clearstory from direct summer sun while allowing daylight infiltration to the lobby and courtrooms. The budget necessitated creative use of a single-story pre-engineered metal building with an attached Kiva element which defines the entrance and provides a multi-purpose interior space utilized both as a jury assembly and community meeting space. Mimicking the Mesa Verde dwellings, narrow, slot-like, vertically orientated apertures provide security, control daylight, and frame iconic views of the Ute and San Juan mountain ranges from the Kiva’s center point.
Clad in simulated rusted metal, stucco, and low-E glazing, the building reinforces the utilitarian, agrarian aesthetic of the surrounding rural context. In contrast, the interior finishes are restrained and modern; wood flooring and millwork ground the interior spaces and bright white walls refract and reflect light. The ceiling inside the Kiva includes an array of recessed LED fixtures that recall the star pattern of the Orion constellation which plotted out Native American village placement during a century’s long migration period.
Functionally, the building includes several design solutions that are essential to the success of this secure and efficient justice facility. A linear public corridor and an opposing linear staff corridor frame the interior providing for a clear articulation between secure and non-secure spaces. Budgetary constraints required a solution to provide secure prisoner circulation. The design team developed a pair of interlocking, interior sally ports that eliminated the need for a basement level. The linear public hall/ lobby that stretches across the entirety of the floor plan is designed to extend in the future to allow for additional courtrooms.
The project achieved LEED Certification as the material palette, fenestration, building orientation, shaded walkways and on-site water collection and natural filtration systems respond to the harsh climatic conditions in this arid region where exterior temperatures can exceed 100 Degrees in the summer and dip well below freezing in the winter.This project has been honored with a 2020 American Architecture Award, 2019 AIA Justice Facilities Review Award, and 2018 AIA Colorado Notable in Denver Award.
