OVERLOADED COURTS SYSTEM

By SALLY ADELSTEIN

"So sue me!" "See you in court." "No, I prefer the Arbitration Center." Folgers Designs an Answer to the Chaos and Confusion of the Courts.

Contrary to common assumptions, litigation is not a search for truth but instead a practical means of resolving disputes. A trial with judge and jury can be a harrowing experience for both plaintiff and defendant. As an alternative, the arbitration process offers a less formal, less expensive and less time-consuming way to resolve legal claims.

To relieve the backlog of court cases in an overloaded courts system, the Illinois Supreme Courts ordered the design and construction of the Circuit Court of Cook County Mandatory Arbitration Center, the first judicial service center of its kind in the Midwest. The center, which opened this past April, can accommodate 108 personal injury cases and 1,000 people per day plus judicial and support staff in three shifts of arbitrators and litigants. The facility is a prototype for alternative court systems both state-and nationwide. Each day, approximately 60 personal injury cases valued between $2,500 and $15,000 are heard at the center located on north LaSalle Street in downtown Chicago's historic Loop area.

Because of the judicatory nature of the center, the design had to have a strong presence. The challenge for Folgers Architects & Facility Design, planner and designer of the 38,000 sq-ft arbitration center, was to create an interior that would command authority yet achieve an impression of informality and ease while accommodating heavy traffic flow. Offering largescale facilities design and space-planning expertise, Folgers provided a solution to the problem of the overcrowded, backlogged courts system.

In addition to overcrowding, the court environment can be intimidating and confusing to litigants. Folgers' innovative design and architectural details establish an environment of pervading calm and efficiency in contrast to the otherwise hectic and anxiety-producing legal process. Folgers designed the hearing rooms, chambers, administrative offices and public facilities to enhance the performance and efficiency of the courts system.

Folgers solved the problem of traffic flow with easy access to rooms and services. At the center of the scheme lies an elevator lobby. The reception area, registration, administrative offices and common lounge area are arranged around the lobby adjacent to the hearing rooms. Security points were designated at diagonal corners of the two main internal circulation corridors, so that all hearing room entrances are in full view. The 35 hearing rooms were positioned on the building perimeter and around an already existing interior light atrium. Additional conference rooms, vending area, telephone service and rest rooms were located on the interior cross corridors.

Sound isolation between hearing rooms and in public corridors was critical in the planning and design of the center. Folgers "dropped" the main corridor ceilings and outfitted the hallways with indirect illumination. Throughout the day, even when the hearing rooms are full, a sense of calm, order and quiet pervades the center.

Folgers' choice of color, lighting, architectural detail, use of materials and furnishings enhances the over-all sense of organization and tranquility. The charcoal carpeting, warm grey walls and light mahogany doors create an impression of sedate professionalism and granite elevator lobby floors and reception area counter surfaces support the image of substance and permanence. Each of the hearing rooms is fitted with a mahogany bench and back wall adorned with an engraved seal of the Circuit Court.

With an aggressive approach to problem-solving, Folgers has provided an architectural solution to the difficulties surrounding the litigation process. What can often be frustrating and adversarial is now more manageable, unintimidating and extremely efficient. As programming specialists and interior design experts, Folgers has designed physical surroundings that enhance the Arbitration Center's efficient and well-ordered system for reviewing cases and aiding in the judicial process of resolving disputes.

November 1991 / Illinois Municipal Review / Page 13