Silling Architects

Silling Architects is a Charleston, W.Va., firm that’s been practicing for more than 120 years and has turned courthouses into a national specialty. It also runs a design studio in Orlando. Court planning is the core of the work, along with sheriff’s offices, libraries and other civic buildings. Its newest opening is the $42 million Hoke County Justice Center in Raeford, N.C., which the county dedicated Oct. 22. Silling handled design and court planning on the design-build job, with SfL+a Architects as associate architect and Metcon and J&K General Contractors building it. Courts are hard buildings to get right. Separate circulation for judges, defendants and the public doesn’t leave room for guesswork.