Cooley Law School close to finishing off addition

Thursday, February 5, 2009 | Source: metromode

One of three floors in the new addition to the Auburn Hills campus of the Thomas M. Cooley Law School is done and the other two aren't far behind.

University officials expect to have the whole 62,000-square-foot structure up and running by the end of March. Completion of that will finish Cooley's year-long project of establishing its own satellite campus in Oakland County.

The Auburn Hills Campus is next to the Chrysler headquarters, smack dab in the middle of 67 acres of woods where a local herd of deer mingles with the herd of law school commuters.

The campus' main building started with a 1980s era GM/UAW building that the school renovated. That building houses meeting space, offices and a large law library. The addition will have classrooms, faculty offices and courtrooms for both practice and real trials. Judges from the federal and circuit courts have already committed to bring their courts there to practice.

The modern-looking building is also going for LEED certification with a strong list of environmentally friendly features. Its green credentials include reusing the existing structure, a 20,000 square foot green roof, using recycled materials such as carpet in the building and energy-efficient lighting, heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems.

The structure also incorporates skylights and expansive windows throughout. A significant outdoor terrace opens up to the woodland and wildlife around it.

Cooley opened its Oakland Campus on Oakland University six years ago with 28 students. Today it has 680 students at its new campus in Auburn Hills campus, 2630 Featherstone Road. It is expected to hold up to 800 within the next year or two and possibly more than 1,000 after that.

More than 3,600 students attend the law school, founded in 1972, at its three locations in Lansing, Grand Rapids and Oakland County.

Source: Nick Wassmiller, spokesman for Thomas M. Cooley Law School
Writer: Jon Zemke