Nathan Deal Judicial Center, Atlanta. (Photo: John Disney/ALM)

Tuesday marked a major milestone for the new Nathan Deal Judicial Center: the official finish day for a $131 million building that's been in the works for a decade.

"Contractually, Dec. 3 is the material completion date," said Marvin Woodward, the Georgia State Financing and Investment Commission deputy executive director tasked with shepherding the project. "That means the building is available for occupancy. That does not mean the punch list is done. Right?"

The goal is to put together that list of items that still need to be done and have it punched out in the next month. "We're hoping the first week of January to have final acceptance," Woodward said.

In the meantime, the building will be "occupied and open for business" as the Georgia Supreme Court and the Georgia Court of Appeals move in this month, Woodward said. Both the high and intermediate appellate courts plan to hold their first oral arguments there in January.

Of the total $131 million budgeted for the project, $109.5 million has been expended and $21.5 million remains, according to a current financial statement the commission shared with the Daily Report.

"This job is on schedule and under budget," Woodward said. "We're proud of that."

Woodward said he first began "programming" the building around 2009. He remembers he had two kids in college at the time. Now they're grown up and have kids of their own. By programming he means "stacking"—projecting space needs and planning what goes where, floor by floor, in the six-story building. During that time, the Supreme Court added two more justices, growing to nine members, and the Court of Appeals added a new panel of three judges, for a total of 15. All of those factors were taken into account.

"We're not looking at this as a 20-year building," Woodward said. "We're looking at this as a 100-year building."

The 100-year vision was a favorite line of former Gov. Nathan Deal—who dreamed of and secured the funding for the first dedicated home for the appellate courts. Deal is expected at a dedication ceremony for the building that bears his name.

The building is a total of 215,000 square feet, Woodward said.

As visitors walk in through a courtyard in front, their feet will touch remnants of marble saved from the sinking and abandoned Georgia Archives Building that once occupied the site—until it was imploded to make room. Also visible on the lower part of the building will be a limited amount of white Georgia marble mined in Tate, Woodward said.

But most of the building exterior is precast concrete intended to represent the limestone on the Capitol. "We could not afford doing the whole building out of marble," Woodward said. Or even limestone. But, he added, "Precast concrete is pretty durable."

When visitors enter the main lobby, they will catch sight of an atrium that goes all the way up to the top floor.

The first floor will house the clerks of both courts and the public information officer for the Supreme Court.

The Court of Appeals courtroom is on the second floor. Some judicial chambers will be there as well.  The second floor will also feature a cafe, Woodward said.

Floor three will house Court of Appeals judicial chambers, Woodward said.

Floor four remains unfinished. Woodward said it's planned now for storage and growth.

Court officials expect some of that floor to be devoted to the new state Business Court, to be headed by Jones Day partner Walt Davis.

In the structure of state government, the business court is "administratively under the Court of Appeals," said Court of Appeals Chief Judge Chris McFadden. "The exact structure of the business court has not been decided. The business court doesn't yet have a budget. That needs to be addressed by the General Assembly."

"The judges of my court will have chambers on the second, third, fourth floors," McFadden said Tuesday in an email. "As a 100-year building, the judicial center is designed to accommodate additional court of appeals judges. So the building has unfinished space on the third and fourth floors, on the side facing away from the Capitol. The business court will take some of that unfinished space."

McFadden added a bit of history on the project. "Remember that the judicial center has been under construction for over two years while last year's legislation creating the business court did not specify where it would be located," he said. "That decision was made around the time Judge Davis was confirmed."

The Supreme Court will occupy the fifth and sixth floors — with chambers on five, and courtroom on six. Plus some of the top floor will be used for mechanical structures, Woodward said. Supreme Court Public Information Officer Jane Hansen said the sixth floor will also include a media room where reporters can work.

Parking for judges, justices and some key staff will be underneath the building, where about 40 spaces are to be available, Woodward said. Other staff will be able to park in a lot behind the building. Visitors can try for a paid public parking lot across the street—or other options around Capitol Hill—such as they are in January when the Legislature convenes. Woodward is hoping the parking setup will actually be better in the new building, but that remains to be seen.

Like most people who will be working and visiting there, McFadden hasn't yet been inside the newly finished Nathan Deal Judicial Center. The chief judge admitted he will miss walking under the magnolia trees around the Capitol as he strolls from the MARTA station to the old quarters for the appellate courts along with the state Law Department. But he showed some excited anticipation for the new building. Said McFadden, "I'm looking forward to laying eyes on it."