Kanawha County Commission – Judicial Annex 

The Kanawha County Judicial Annex was originally constructed in 1982 directly across from the Courthouse in Charleston, West Virginia.  Over the years, the needs changed and the building’s infrastructure deteriorated and was in need of upgrades. The Kanawha County Commission contracted ZDS to evaluate the existing mechanical and electrical systems in the Judicial Annex. ZDS prepared an extensive report covering multiple approaches to HVAC, the advantages and disadvantages for each, and the potential costs.  During the review process, the primary chiller failed, causing an emergency due to the extreme summer heat.  ZDS successfully fulfilled the design and project management of a replacement chiller within days, allowing the building to re-open and operate promptly. The Kanawha County Commission then hired ZDS to provide engineering services for the renovation of the 93,000 ft² Annex and a 23,000 ft² addition using the ground floor of the parking garage connected to the Annex.  The Annex includes circuit courtrooms, jury deliberation, attorney conferencing, witnessing, court clerical staff, public research, adult probation, prosecuting, maintenance, voter registration, court administration, and all public areas.  The engineering for the addition included a new entrance, security checkpoint, and lobby to accommodate a building expansion for Juvenile Probation and a newly established Family Court.