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OCTOBER 2015 | 89 Jackman Law Building – Faculty of Law – University of Toronto RENDERINGS COURTESY HARIRI PONTARINI ARCHITECTS Jackman Law Building – Faculty of Law – University of Toronto by MATT CURRIE O ver the years, the University of Toronto's Faculty of Law has con- sistently been ranked among the best in the country. However, it has been quite some time since its facilities actu- ally looked the part. "There were areas that were getting a little bit tired, getting a little bit run down," says the faculty's dean, Edward Iacobucci. "And the space in many ways wasn't well suited to how the law school had evolved; we've grown over the years and we needed additional space. So the idea of a new building has been around, really, since the late '90s. But it took time to figure out how we would accomplish this." The building is nestled between the Ontario Legislative Building on the east and the U of T campus on the west. "The symbolism of that is a wonderful aspect of where our current site is," notes Iacobucci. "On top of that, we've got these lovely old buildings that are a part of our law school's heritage – Flavelle House and Falconer. The conclusion was that it would be lovely to keep that historical site and the advantages of this incredible spot, but try to find room to allow for our expansion and some addi- tional facilities." This location, at the gateway between the University and the city beyond, would also allow the reimagined facility, now dubbed the Jackman Law Building after key donor Henry N.R. Jackman, to make an impact on not just the campus, but the landscape of Toronto itself. It's something design architects Hariri Pontarini took full advantage of. The firm won the job in a 2008 competition held by the University on the back of a three-pronged plan that included a light renovation of the afore- mentioned historic Flavelle House; a significant overhaul of the dated Bora Laskin Law Library into a modern stu- dent commons – a "reskinned" glass pavilion highlighted by a striking two- storey reading room that gazes out onto Philosopher's Walk footpath to the west; and, the jewel of the crown, the addi- tion of a three-storey, crescent-shaped office and classroom wing overlooking Queen's Park on the east. "All credit goes to the architects and the previous dean [who oversaw much of the project's planning]," says Iacobucci. "They really did a wonderful job honouring that heritage through those older buildings, but also creating new space with this new prominence on Queen's Park Crescent. I really like the way it looks to Queen's Park now, it looks to the Legislature in a way it just hadn't in the past; it felt much more closed off from Queen's Park. And it won't be going forward." "Due to it s prominent location between the City and the Campus, every elevation is a front elevation," adds architect Siamak Hariri. "The design responds by using a single window system that wraps around giving every faculty office access to light and great views. The clarity of this idea is simple, beautiful, and allows it to meet the con- straints of a tight budget." Indeed, the Crescent addition coun- terbalances the historic esthetic of the neighbouring Flavelle House with what the architect calls a "strong urban iden- tity and edge" that follows the curve of Hoskin Avenue – an altogether striking use of "an elemental palette of over- sized glass panes punctuated by vertical nickel fins which sit upon a stone base of dry-laid Wiarton limestone – a material whose softly figured, dove-grey patina works beautifully with the gold-tinted silver hues of the nickel." The team is also targeting LEED Gold, with a design that will reduce heating and cooling expenditures via a balanc- ing of transparent glazing and insulated walls to achieve maximum daylighting. Moreover, a vegetation green roof on the library pavilion helps manage precipita- tion and the aforementioned fins on the Crescent facade provide shade to the south and west. In addition to more modern facili- ties and sorely needed space, the rei- magined Faculty of Law is primed to enhance student and faculty life in two key ways. First, connection to the lush greenspace that flanks the facility on all sides – greenspace that has always been present, but from which the building's occupants have been, until now, cut off. "To take one example, there's the Rosalie Abella Courtroom, which is named after a Supreme Court Justice who's an alum of the faculty," says Iacobucci. "And in the old building, it was a dark, windowless, dark brick kind of room that you had no clue where your surroundings were. Now the Abella Courtroom is going to have a beautiful view overlooking some of the greens- pace at the south part of our property but then also looking out along Queen's Park Crescent and University Avenue further to the south. It's going to be a similar room, but radically transformed with its integration, and just a really pleasant place to be. It was harder to say that about the old room." More importantly, the new design as a whole will allow many more opportuni- ties for faculty and students – who were previously isolated from one another in different, disconnected buildings – to connect in one space. This is apparent throughout the building – a wonderful example being Osler Atrium, the true focal point of the new facility. Situated in the middle of Flavelle, the Crescent and the Laskin Library, its walls a blend of old brick and new glass, the Atrium represents what the architect calls a "carefully reca- librated balance between the Faculty's history and its future – it answers the need for a galvanizing social space to bring students and faculty together in a central space, permitting the previously fragmented faculty to function as a uni- fied, coherent community." And without question, community is the most exciting thing for dean Iacobucci – the chance for enhanced integration with the historic parks and campus outside, as well as the people inside, who now have the ability to col- laborate, connect and learn in ways that simply were not possible before. "The word I keep coming back to is transformative," says Iacobucci. "It was very important to find a way of adding space while respecting this heritage and tying them together in a practical but also esthetically elegant way. There was very careful thought given to honouring our history, but building a law school that will serve us going forward as well." A LOCATION 78 Queens Park Crescent, Toronto, Ontario OWNER/DEVELOPER University of Toronto – Faculty of Law DESIGN ARCHITECT Hariri Pontarini Architects EXECUTIVE ARCHITECT B+H Architects CONSTRUCTION MANAGER Eastern Construction Company Limited STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT Read Jones Christoffersen Ltd. MECHANICAL/ELECTRICAL/ COMMUNICATION CONSULTANT Smith + Andersen TOTAL SIZE 177,000 square feet TOTAL COST $54 million

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