The final stages of planning are under way for one of Penn Law School's major buildings after the University Board of Trustees approved the project two weeks ago.
The $5 million renovation of Roberts Hall, which will include a dramatic alteration of the existing classrooms, in addition to mechanical and electrical systems improvements, is slated to begin after classes end next May and scheduled to be completed by the start of the 2006 spring semester.
Poor lighting and inefficient layout of the four classrooms selected for renovation have been cause for complaint.
Though minor details regarding the design plans have yet to be worked out, Design and Construction Managing Director Mark Wilson said that the plan will be finished by early March.
"There is still some minor tweaking with respect to the exterior, [but it's] not uncommon at this stage of the game," Wilson said.
The classrooms "served us well for almost 40 years, but I think it was pretty clear [they] would be the first priority" for renovation, Vice Dean for Administrative Services at the Law School Jo-Ann Verrier said.
The "demands of the faculty have changed," she added, noting that faculty members have been "very widely consulted in the actual details of the renovation process."
The classrooms "are in desperate need of repairs," said Wilson, who added that Facilities and Real Estate Services has been working in conjunction with the Law School to design a classroom that would enable professors to lecture according to the "Socratic method," a style of teaching that focuses on discourse and direct questions.
The new lecture spaces, which will be oriented in a "U" shape, will allow professors more access to students and will enable students to interact with one another during class time. Seating areas and fixtures will also be refurbished.
Law professor and Chairman of the Law School Building Committee Paul Robinson said that a number of different teaching styles have helped shape the design of the four classrooms.
In law school, "there tends to be much more interaction between and among students and between the professor and the student," Robinson said.
"Professors are constantly asking questions, and students may respond to other students. It is common to have this certain open discussion, [so] you need a room with good acoustics and a good line of sight," he said.
"Our faculty has quite a diversity of teaching styles. ... Some people are more Socratic, some are less -- some use a lot of technology, some don't. A part of the challenge for us is to have rooms to accommodate this very wide variety of styles," he added.
The upgrades will also make the classrooms more handicap accessible, and larger windows will be installed to allow more natural light into the rooms.
Due to the construction, Law School classes during the 2005 fall semester will be relocated.
"Our registrar has done surveys of all classes and enrollments, and we think we will be able to fit all of our classes into this current structure in the building to accommodate all the classes that we would typically offer in the fall semester," Verrier said.
"We are going to have some real squeezes, and we'll have to use some rooms that we don't normally use very much," Robinson added.
