The 500,000 square-foot Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse is a state-of-the-art facility that is the first of its kind in the U.S to be created through a public-private partner ship (P3) contract.  The new courthouse epitomizes a social structure that serves a higher civic purpose and is also a catalyst for regeneration of downtown Long Beach.  The courthouse was designed to achieve LEED Silver certification by the U.S. Green Building Council, but was ultimately certified as LEED Gold with no additional cost to the state.

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The landscape design, integrated into the courthouse, strives to provide a very social and transparent environment without sacrificing security.  The scale of the public space was designed to provide generous walking space along its pathways, and formal as well as informal seating opportunities.  The design includes a formal civic entry plaza, a large courtyard with ample seating, reflecting pool, native wildlife gardens, corten steel and concrete planters, drought tolerant plants and streetscape improvement.