Rethinking Openness: Courthouses in the United States

The authors believe that a better understanding of the concept of openness in the context of design will help in making sensible trade-offs between openness and security concerns in public buildings. Using courthouses as an example of public architecture, the authors investigate different interpretations of openness from the design teams' point of view. The study reveals six conceptualizations of openness: accessibility, transparency, exposure, organizational clarity, illumination, and inclusiveness.