College of Law
Georgia State University
Leverage Opportunity
The Georgia State College of Law’s 205,000 SF new building occupies an extremely prominent site in the heart of downtown Atlanta. The project’s primary objectives were to advance learning, create a close sense of community for students, faculty, and staff, and leverage opportunities inherent to its dynamic urban context.
Center Of Intellectual Activity And Research
Working closely with College of Law faculty and administrators, SSOE, in association with SmithGroupJJR, created an innovative building program that conceives the library as the social heart of the school, a center of intellectual activity and research, and an experimental learning environment for emerging innovative pedagogy. The library is placed at the top of the building, a lit beacon in the Atlanta setting, concentrating activity and establishing a civic identity in the midst of much larger office towers. The building gives new prominence to the University and activates Woodruff Park, a major urban space.
Connective Space
The building contains diverse inventive active learning and skills development spaces. Public spaces are conceived of as learning spaces and are visually linked to more structured instructional environments. Internal planning unifies diverse functions with a multi-level, naturally-lit connective space that promotes interaction among students and faculty, and with the public and legal community.
