The master plan’s designers defend the requirement for round buildings as a way to assure the overall identity of the campus while allowing many firms to participate. It also assures the continuity of open spaces, they say, despite the high density of development, with 3.2 million square feet of built space. Buildings are grouped around a circulation spine and connected by underground service galleries.

Architects have approached the challenge of building in the round with a variety of strategies. Some create a sense of movement and rotation in their works, such as Rafael De La-Hoz's Criminal Courts, where horizontal rings trace irregular orbits around the building, or Zaha Hadid's Civil Courts, a competition-winning design, whose perforated metal skin and angular styling seem ready for flight.