By Hope Keller designs. (Behnisch designed an extension of the group’s Geneva, Switzerland, headquarters.) “I like creating spaces where people can work and live together; where they can communicate, interact and work in an interdisciplinary way,” Behnisch said. “Such buildings have a great impact on our society, and designing them is a great honor.” At the law center, students study at counters overlooking the atrium, or sit and talk together in the clusters of colorful upholstered chairs scattered throughout the building. Faculty, staff and students mingle in the tangle of
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said. “We can make sure that our law graduates are prepared to contribute to the tectonic shifts we’re seeing in the global economy and in our national institutions. Or we can marginalize ourselves by sticking to old beliefs and old ways of doing things.” So far, the building has earned rave reviews from the people who use it. Professors said the striking design had improved morale. “It’s not just aesthetics,” said Robert Rubinson, director of clinical education. “It’s how students feel about their learning experience. I think the building clearly enhances that.
The University of Baltimore did not want a law center that was “stuffy like the British lawyers with their hairdo.” Architect Stefan Behnisch
catwalks and stairs, and co-workers wave to each other through glass walls and doors. Weich, who said buildings should “facilitate” the work of the people who use them, said in the BuildUp article that the law center’s design represented a new way of thinking about the law and legal education. “We face a stark choice,” Weich
1 2 stories n 1 92,000 square feet n 1 5 classrooms n 2 9 large- and small-group n
study spaces
“There is a rush of excitement when you walk into a building and it makes you feel good about yourself and what you are doing. You are more open to learning.” Professor Barbara White, who teaches business law, said the building was a reminder that the legal profession is changing and that it’s time legal education changed with it.
3 2,000-square-foot library n 3 00-seat moot courtroom n
n G reen roofs and terraces with
plantings and trees n C utting-edge technologies for
heating and cooling
“It’s time for law to be innovative,” she said.
‘The Best Of Disinfectants’ Weich recalled the words of former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis, who remarked that sunlight “is said to be the best of disinfectants.” “Like Brandeis, I like transparency,” Weich said in the newsletter interview. “I want people to know what’s going on in the law and in our school.” Continued Weich: “The building is undoubtedly complex. It’s multifaceted and multidirectional. But it’s also systematic and intentional, and to me that’s a symbol of how the law brings order to our chaotic lives. The fact that it’s also a highly sustainable building shows that we can leverage a measure of control over our environment. I think that’s just inspired.” Professor William Hubbard, who teaches intellectual property law, said that the school’s design was indeed inspirational—and that it reminds students and faculty of why they went into law in the first place. “Sometimes claiming physical spaces can affect the activity within [is] a concept that is given lip service,” he said. “But here I think it’s true.” Charles Cohen contributed reporting to this article.
n C entral atrium featuring
natural light, greenery and areas for contemplation and collaboration n I ndoor and outdoor water
features n R ainwater capture and reuse
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