First look: University of Utah's ‘teaching hospital for law’

The University of Utah broke ground today on its cutting-edge College of Law building, which will facilitate new approaches to legal education based on more hands-on learning and skills training.

“With this new building, the College of Law will advance its mission to establish a ‘teaching hospital for law’-- an innovative vision for the future of legal education,” said University of Utah President David W. Pershing. “Expanded and improved facilities will enable a variety of educational tracks aimed at improving the human condition, including global justice and the evolving field of biolaw.”

Designed by VCBO Architecture (architect of record) and SmithGroupJJR (design architect), the facility will feature a library integrated throughout the building, state-of-the-art training facilities, spaces for collaborative research, advanced but flexible learning technology, practice courtrooms and a top-floor conference center. By providing a wide array of flexible spaces for small group training, the building efficiently provides more space-per-student, bringing it in line with peer institutions.

All images © VCBO/SMITHGROUP JJR Architecture and the College of Law

“This building will fulfill the educational needs of tomorrow’s lawyers while serving the broader Utah legal community and the community at large,” said Bob Adler, interim dean of the S. J. Quinney College of Law. “We are committed to using the facility in ways that will better prepare skilled attorneys and problem-solving leaders.”

The College of Law faculty plans to use the new building to expand its already substantial commitment to community service and community-engaged learning. University of Utah law students provided almost 50,000 hours of volunteer pro bono and clinical service during the 2012-13 academic year. The new building will enable the school to continue this tradition by providing facilities for direct client interaction.

The new building is designed to achieve LEED platinum certification, the highest designation using Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards and will provide accessibility for a full range of disabilities. Located at the southwest corner of campus across from the Stadium TRAX station, the building will establish a welcoming gateway for visitors to the campus.

To date, the building has received generous support from the S.J. and Jessie E. Quinney Foundation, the University of Utah, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the Alternative Visions Fund of the Chicago Community Trust as well as a growing number of law firms and individual donors.

The $4.5 million donation from the Alternative Visions Fund is dedicated specifically to taking the facility’s sustainable features to the next level. Among the attributes made possible through this donation are an innovative cooling system using groundwater from near the building site, recycling and reuse of building grey water to flush toilets and for other non-potable uses, on-site and off-site solar power generation, electric car charging stations and more.

Big-D Construction will begin work on the new, 155,000-square-foot building on June 17, and the building is expected to be ready for the 2015-16 academic year.

All plans courtesy VCBO Architecture

Satellier, a world leader in providing CAD and Building Information Modeling (BIM) outsourced services to the architecture, engineering and construction industry, announces a strategic minority investment from India-based top engineering firm Potential + Semac, ushering in the next evolution of the global architecture support industry.

| Sep 22, 2010

Second annual SteelDay set for September 24

| Sep 21, 2010

Turner Building Cost Index Unchanged From Second Quarter 2010 and 13.16% below its 2008 Peak

| Sep 21, 2010

New BOMA-Kingsley Report Shows Compression in Utilities and Total Operating Expenses

A new report from the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International and Kingsley Associates shows that property professionals are trimming building operating expenses to stay competitive in today’s challenging marketplace. The report, which analyzes data from BOMA International’s 2010 Experience Exchange Report® (EER), revealed a $0.09 (1.1 percent) decrease in total operating expenses for U.S. private-sector buildings during 2009.

| Sep 21, 2010

Forecast: Existing buildings to earn 50% of green building certifications

A new report from Pike Research forecasts that by 2020, nearly half the green building certifications will be for existing buildings—accounting for 25 billion sf. The study, “Green Building Certification Programs,” analyzed current market and regulatory conditions related to green building certification programs, and found that green building remain robust during the recession and that certifications for existing buildings are an increasing area of focus.

| Sep 21, 2010

Middough Inc. Celebrates its 60th Anniversary

Middough Inc., a top ranking U.S. architectural, engineering and management services company, announces the celebration of its 60th anniversary, says President and CEO, Ronald R. Ledin, PE.

| Sep 16, 2010

Gehry’s Santa Monica Place gets a wave of changes

Omniplan, in association with Jerde Partnership, created an updated design for Santa Monica Place, a shopping mall designed by Frank Gehry in 1980.

| Sep 16, 2010

Green recreation/wellness center targets physical, environmental health

The 151,000-sf recreation and wellness center at California State University’s Sacramento campus, called the WELL (for “wellness, education, leisure, lifestyle”), has a fitness center, café, indoor track, gymnasium, racquetball courts, educational and counseling space, the largest rock climbing wall in the CSU system.

| Sep 13, 2010

Community college police, parking structure targets LEED Platinum

The San Diego Community College District's $1.555 billion construction program continues with groundbreaking for a 6,000-sf police substation and an 828-space, four-story parking structure at San Diego Miramar College.

| Sep 13, 2010

Campus housing fosters community connection

A 600,000-sf complex on the University of Washington's Seattle campus will include four residence halls for 1,650 students and a 100-seat cafe, 8,000-sf grocery store, and conference center with 200-seat auditorium for both student and community use.

Currently Reading

First look: University of Utah's ‘teaching hospital for law’

Tags

| Sep 22, 2010

| Sep 22, 2010

| Sep 21, 2010

| Sep 21, 2010

| Sep 21, 2010

| Sep 21, 2010

| Sep 16, 2010

| Sep 16, 2010

| Sep 13, 2010

| Sep 13, 2010

Most Popular Content

Magazine Subscription

Get our Newsletters

Follow BD+C: