Come this fall, ASU law students are going to have it very, very good.
Wrapped in Arizona flagstone, bedecked in high-efficiency windows and featuring the latest technologies available — ASU’s new law school building is as impressive on the inside as it is out.
The six-story structure — called the Arizona Center for Law and Society — features a ground-floor courtyard, state-of-the-art classrooms and stunning communal spaces.
During a recent tour of the building site, DPR Construction said the building will be 40 percent more energy efficient than other buildings of its size and type of use. With all LED lighting, chilled beams, airfloor ventilation systems and more — the building conserves so much energy that they aim to apply for a gold LEED certification.
In addition to the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, the ACLS building will house the Ross-Blakley Law Library and the ASU Alumni Law Group (which happens to be the nation’s first nonprofit, privately financed teaching law firm).
Here’s a look at the construction site and each space’s corresponding (conceptual) rendering.
Great Hall
An immense, 50-by-25-foot glass door floods the Great Hall with natural light, and opens directly to the exterior courtyard, which they’ve dubbed “The Canyon.” With retractable chairs built into the stairs — the vast, indoor-outdoor space will easily morph between formal and everyday occasions. On any given day, the Great Hall is intended as a gathering place for students to study, have lunch or wait for their next class. But bring the chairs out and you have an event space large enough to host lectures and ceremonies of many kinds.
Reading Room Spanning between the west and east building, the reading room hovers over the inner courtyard, with no floors beneath it. Intended for studying, one might be distracted by the room’s stunning design. The north wall is made entirely of glass, the building’s exterior flagstone trails through to the interior of the room, and wood wall panels add some warmth to the room.
Library With skylights and a two-story window wall that looks out onto the courtyard — the library will have tons of natural light. Because the rooms are so large, the building’s air ducts are being installed below the floor, which makes for a quieter and more efficient air system. Instead of blowing the air from the top of the room down, the ground ducts let the air trickle out as the room gets too hot or cold.
Fifth-floor Courtyard One level above the library, the fifth-floor courtyard is both a special event space and a student gathering space. The doors and windows of an adjacent communal room open up to the courtyard, creating an indoor-outdoor event space.
The V-ColumnThe v-shaped column on the north side of the site holds up the entire weight of the west structure. DPR Construction said the 48,000-pound beam is holding up about 500,000 pounds of building.
All renderings courtesy of jonestudioinc.com
