JCJ has provided the Puyallup Tribe of Indians with the design for a Justice Center on the Puyallup Tribal Land in Tacoma. The urban site currently houses gaming facilities and administrative offices for the tribe. Initially, JCJ conducted a needs assessment study to determine current and future facilities requirements for the operation of the Tribe’s Judicial Programs as well as capacity requirements and costs associated with the construction of a new detention facility.

Utilizing the program established, the JCJ team designed a 82,300 square foot building that will house three distinctly separate, yet inter-connected programs into one facility; courts, police and detention.

The building has been designed to work with the slope of the site, with half of the lower level below grade. The primarily masonry exterior of the building is met with a transparent entry spine that continues through the building transitioning between the different components. By juxtaposing two disparate materials at the entry, the downward sloping glass, and the vertical cast stone wall, the building seeks to provide the tribe with a message of unity.

The project has received an $8 million grant as part of an identified Native American infrastructure program within the Federal Stimulus Package.