UC College of the Law Cotchett Law Center

The new LEED Platinum academic building at UC College of the Law will encourage physical activity and provide students with great access to daylight and usable outdoor spaces to create a healthy learning environment.

The building takes advantage of its dense urban location and proximity to adjacent buildings to overshadow windows and reduce solar heat gain while maximizing views. The east facade features a sawtooth configuration to maximize daylight to private offices facing a narrow setback between buildings. The student experience will include access to daylight to enhance natural circadian rhythms, an environment that encourages physical activity and social interaction, and landscaped, occupiable outdoor spaces.

The project includes a VRF mechanical system to provide conditioning and high energy performance when the spaces are used and turns off unoccupied spaces to save energy. The project achieves high water efficiency by capturing roof rainwater for flushing and using water-efficient landscaping strategies. A photovoltaic array located on the penthouse roof will offset an estimated 9% of the project’s energy use annually.