Located in Central Islip, Long Island, north of the Southern State Parkway and adjacent to the existing county courthouse, this federal courthouse takes advantage of panoramic views over both Great South Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. The 12-story building was placed on a podium to give it a presence on an otherwise flat and undifferentiated exurban site. Visitors ascend two wide tiers of steps and enter the building through a 9-storey, monumental, top-lit rotunda in the form of an opaque cone clad in white metal panels. The rest of the south elevation consists of a curtain wall that allows light into the corridors and permits uninterrupted views of the ocean. A granite-clad, east-west wall separates public circulation from the courtrooms and judges' chambers. The north facade is faced with stone and pierced by narrow horizontal windows.