Syracuse Law School Moves into New Home

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Syracuse University celebrated the grand opening of Dineen Hall in September, marking a new era for the school’s College of Law. The modern five-story structure was the first academic hall constructed as part of the university’s new West Campus expansion.

Comprised largely of brick and glass, Dineen Hall was designed by Gluckman Mayner Architects of New York and constructed by Hueber-Breuer of Syracuse. The building consolidates Syracuse University’s legal program, which was previously divided between four different buildings, and provides expanded facilities for approximately 700 law students.

The hall spans approximately 200,000 square feet, providing ample space for the College of Law’s new 33,500-square-foot Law Library and reading room, as well as a 325-seat ceremonial courtroom, lecture rooms, work rooms and office spaces. A café, roof terrace and lounge spaces give students new areas for studying and gathering, while the hall’s main level houses a large, light-filled celebratory space that serves both as the physical and symbolic center of the building. This space in particular was designed to accommodate large events, and leads into both the library and glass-walled courtroom. To promote active design, the building’s architecture emphasizes stairs as the main point of vertical circulation for the physically able, according to Gluckman Mayner.

“A dynamic legal education requires a learning environment that enhances connection, community engagement and opportunity,” Dean Hannah Arterian said in a statement. “Dineen Hall reflects the perfect synergy of time, space, and energy that brings Syracuse University College of Law into a new century, with a new outlook, the latest technology, expanded faculty, and a promise to further extend our interactive, personal approach to the teaching of law.”

Gluckman Mayner also designed the facility to achieve LEED Gold certification, reinforcing the university’s commitment to sustainability. Insulated windows and a curtain wall system intended to limit solar heat gain punctuate Dineen Hall’s masonry façade. Portions of the facility’s third and fourth floors are topped with green roofs to better regulate building temperature and absorb runoff. Though the building also was designed to take full advantage of natural light with two large light wells that feed directly into the ground level, LEDs are featured throughout.

“We are very proud to create a new architectural identity for the Syracuse University College of Law,” said Richard Gluckman, a Syracuse University alumnus and principal of Gluckman Mayner Architects, in a statement. “The new building embodies the strength and ambition of the College of Law program and better serves its students, faculty and staff through a series of well-proportioned and well-lit spaces.”