Standing six stories tall, the 266,742-square-foot (24,781.1 m2) building contains six courtrooms as well offices for the courts and other federal agencies such as the United States Marshals Service.

[1] Architect Thom Mayne of the Morphosis firm won the design competition, though at the time the location for the new courthouse was hypothetical.

[3] On April 7, 2004, federal officials held a groundbreaking ceremony at the site for what was estimated to be a $70 million project.

[7] The site on East Eighth Avenue and Ferry Street formerly housed an Agripac cannery and is situated along the Willamette River.

[7] In July 2004, construction began with site preparation including digging out a hole for underground parking.

[8] Plans called for a four-story structure covered with zinc panels on the exterior with a total of 267,000 square feet (24,800 m2), including a three-story-tall atrium.

[3] Despite security concerns as a federal building, the architect and judge Michael Robert Hogan sought to have an open feel to the structure.

[4][9] After years of working on the design process, including 25 revisions, the two compromised on elements with Hogan responsible for pushing for a set of steps leading to the main floor on the second level as well as the feel of the courtrooms.

[4] While Mayne had a reputation as an architect of confrontation and dislocation, this was one of three GSA Design in Excellence programs he had worked on with the artistically conservative federal government.

"[16] The completed design resulted in a curving structure standing five stories tall with 266,742 square feet (24,781.1 m2) of space.

[4] The courtrooms feature ribbons of wood panels on the walls in rooms that narrow as they reach the bench at the front.

[14] In addition to the natural light from the atrium and skylights, the building is further illuminated inside by lightboxes and screens that are part of the artwork.

[4] Also, the areas leading into the elevators have clear panels in the floor, and the main staircase is also constructed partly of transparent materials, with the steps made of gray slate.

[14] The exterior features a large set of stairs that leads from the street level to the main entrance on the second floor.

[9][15] Other security measures in the design include the underground parking and setting the courtrooms back from the street.

[9] Other exterior features include structural elements left exposed along with portions of the curved metal skin that extend out from the building.

[4] Energy efficient and sustainability features designed into the project led to a LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

[13] The floor-based HVAC system is more energy efficient and helps keep the temperature of the entire building more even and uses radiant heating and cooling.