Despite a rainy September 29, spirits at the University of Toronto were high, as the Faculty of Law celebrated the official grand opening of the Jackman Law Building. Designed by Hariri Pontarini and B+H, the newly completed 3-storey building now adds 66,000 square feet to the Faculty of Law, increasing the learning and teaching space by 50%, ultimately meeting the needs that staff and students have expressed a desire for over recent years. This new facility will now be able to accommodate the existing law program, with some additional space available for growth.

Looking west from Queen's Park, image by Greg Lipinski

While our forum thread posts include photos from our contributors showing the progression of the building's exterior, we can now show the interior as well. Walking in from Queen's Park Crescent West, students will now step into a bright and spacious atrium, with an Eramosa limestone fireplace being a dominant feature. One of the features of this new facility is connecting the Bora Laskin Law Library to the northwest of the new build, and the 1902-built Flavelle House to the north. The library underwent major interior renovations, while the Flavelle House received restoration work during the construction of the Jackman Building.

The Eramosa limestone fireplace, image by Greg Lipinski

The height of the Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP Atrium extends to the top of the third floor, allowing anyone on the second and third levels to overlook the main lobby. Large windows along the northern portion of the atrium allow for natural light to brighten the space.

Looking onto Flavelle House, image by Greg Lipinski

Overlooking the atrium and the second and third levels, image by Greg Lipinski

Navigating through the building, the lower level consists primarily of classrooms and a lecture hall.  On the southern half of the main level, there are two seminar rooms, and a large court classroom that can seat approximately 200 students.  Progressing onto the upper levels, the majority of the space is taken up by faculty offices. 

Looking onto the second level, image by Greg Lipinski

Looking down faculty offices on the third level, image by Greg Lipinski

The official opening ceremony took place within the atrium. Notable speakers of the platform party included Mr. Arif Varani, the Member of Parliament for Parkdale-High Park; The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Minister of International Trade, and M.P for University-Rosedale, who was there on behalf of Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau; Meric Gertler, President of U of T; and The Honourable Henry N.R Jackman, Chancellor emeritus, Philanthropist, and former Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, for whom the building is named, after donating $11 million to the project.  

Other guests in attendance included lawyers, judges, and former alumni of the program. Throughout the course of the speeches given by the platform party, it was announced that three quarters of the funding came from alumni, which contributed significantly to the campaign that was launched back in November, 2011.

The Ribbon Cutting, image by Greg Lipinski

While the building has just officially opened, faculty and students have been using the Jackman Law Building since the beginning of the fall semester. The U of T's Faculty of Law can now continue to grow its reputation in the legal academic community, aiming to be the school where the future of this nation's legal and justice system will attend.

To learn more about this project, make sure to check out our database file, linked below. Want to leave your thoughts on the project? Feel free to comment in the field provided on this page, or check out the associated Forum thread.