The new 17-story, 460,000 square foot courthouse is being constructed in the heart of Downtown Portland, replacing the old courthouse which faced safety and functional difficulties. Features of the new building will include a docket board on each floor to help guide citizens, a law library and legal resource center, an expanded CourtCare, which is daycare available to parents doing business in the courthouse, and a coffee area that will be run by the Oregon Commission for the Blind. The new courthouse will also have a secure sallyport, which is an area where defendants who are in custody can be brought into the building, something the existing courthouse does not have.

The new courthouse, which will have 44 courtrooms, will also include green roofs and a solar installation. The project is aiming to achieve LEED Gold certification.