Overview

The William H. Neukom Building, a new academic building which opened in 2011, strengthens the law school community and overall campus integration by fostering the interdisciplinary collaboration essential to a rich educational experience. Prominently situated south of the existing law school complex, this 65,000-square-foot building creates a new focal point along the route that connects the campus's residential and academic precincts and provides much-needed clinic, seminar, meeting, and office space.

The building is organized as four connected three-story wings pinwheeling around a central elevated courtyard. Barnum Tower, a monumental rotunda, serves as the main entrance to the new building. From the outside, you will notice that the new building's facades echo the monumental arcades of the school's existing complex and its roof line aligns with those of the surrounding buildings, creating a visually united law school campus.

Buoyed by a lead gift from William H. Neukom '67, Stanford Law School worked with Ennead Architects to develop a physical campus plan for our most valuable assets and resources: our faculty and students. The new academic building is efficient, smart, flexible, welcoming, and value-engineered to reduce its overall environmental impact. The structure was built to satisfy the equivalent of a LEED Gold Certification by meeting key sustainability requirements in the areas of site planning; water management; energy use; materials, resources, and waste; indoor environmental quality; and innovation and design. For example, the new building uses 30 percent less energy than code requires through sophisticated control systems, ceiling fans, efficient glass, and ventilation, as well as an exterior trellis designed to maximize shade. Built for the long term, the structure complements the existing campus and reflects the law school's vision for the future. Interior and exterior spaces encourage collaboration and interaction, providing easy, convenient communication among and between students and faculty. Quiet areas for research, writing, and small group projects also have been integrated into the building design.