Projects

Education Case Studies

Rutgers University
Law School Addition and Renovation
Camden, New Jersey

Torcon is general contractor for the Addition and Renovation program at the Rutgers University Law School in Camden, NJ.  The construction of this new facility expanded the academic, research, and community service programs at the law school by adding approximately 50,000 square feet of space and upgrading the existing 35-year-old building.  The new building is located across Fifth Street from the current law school and is linked at the third-floor level above the street. 

Construction of the new law school was completed first, followed by the renovation phase. Upgrades of the existing facility are primarily aimed at life safety and interior finishes, but also include a new café and demolition of the law library and fit-out of the space for classrooms and offices.

The project creates one of the finest law school facilities in the country for Rutgers, with state-of-the-art classrooms, a technologically advanced moot courtroom, and expanded space for student organizations and social life. The new structure will allow the Rutgers-Camden law school to expand its successful clinical and pro bono programs, wherein students, working closely with attorneys and law school staff, gain practical experience by providing much-needed legal services to New Jersey citizens who otherwise would not have representation.

A centerpiece of the project was construction of a new full-featured moot court complex. Up to this time, Rutgers-Camden was the only law school in New Jersey and the region, and in its national peer group, without an on-site courtroom for student learning. Such activities previously took place in federal and county courthouses in the City of Camden only during the evening.

Other objectives of the new facilities include the creation of student gathering space and offices for student organizations; instructional spaces that reflect modern trends in class size among nationally ranked law schools; and a central location for law school administrative functions that currently are housed elsewhere on campus.