Working with the City of Hollister and the architect to create a genuine civic center at the heart of town, Rutherford + Chekene provided structural and geotechnical engineering for the project on a constrained site just hundreds of feet from seismic features. The brownfield status of the site required careful attention. Archeological findings on the site entailed that the design team collaborate with an archeologist to ensure a sensitive building solution. The new two-story, 41,500 sf courthouse serves the Superior Court of San Benito County and contains three courtrooms, a jury assembly room with dual functionality as a hearing room, a centrally located public counter, and family court service spaces. The project was designed to LEED Silver standards and features a distinctive glass-and-steel exterior with a solar awning and a courtyard landscaped with native plants.