The UB opens the new building of the Faculty of Law

Opening ceremony.
Opening ceremony.
Institutional
(15/02/2018)

On Thursday, February 15, the UB opened its new building for the Faculty of Law, a building of 16,024 square meters responding to a demand from many years in the Faculty. The following people took part in the opening ceremony: the rector of the UB, Joan Elias; the dean of the Faculty of Law, Xavier Pons; the secretary for Universities and Research of Generalitat de Catalunya, Arcadi Navarro; the architect and author of the project, Enric Sòria, and the director of the Area of Infrastructures and General Services of the UB, Andreu Lezcano.


In his speech, the rector appreciated the fact that a process which took almost eighteen years to be developed is now finished, and highlighted that this building means an “effort and honor to a Faculty of Law which is a model at a national and international scale within its field”. “I am sure that with this new infrastructure, which fills an important lack of some spaces, this recognition will grow even more”, he added. Moreover, he highlighted that the new building “is not the only infrastructure the University of Barcelona needs”, and that there are other faculties that need urgent actions to be taken.
 

Opening ceremony.
Opening ceremony.
Institutional
15/02/2018

On Thursday, February 15, the UB opened its new building for the Faculty of Law, a building of 16,024 square meters responding to a demand from many years in the Faculty. The following people took part in the opening ceremony: the rector of the UB, Joan Elias; the dean of the Faculty of Law, Xavier Pons; the secretary for Universities and Research of Generalitat de Catalunya, Arcadi Navarro; the architect and author of the project, Enric Sòria, and the director of the Area of Infrastructures and General Services of the UB, Andreu Lezcano.


In his speech, the rector appreciated the fact that a process which took almost eighteen years to be developed is now finished, and highlighted that this building means an “effort and honor to a Faculty of Law which is a model at a national and international scale within its field”. “I am sure that with this new infrastructure, which fills an important lack of some spaces, this recognition will grow even more”, he added. Moreover, he highlighted that the new building “is not the only infrastructure the University of Barcelona needs”, and that there are other faculties that need urgent actions to be taken.
 

Arcadi Navarro said the building is a step forward “regarding the quality of our university”. In this sense, he highlighted that Catalonia has “the 44% of its students attending universities that are among the top hundred centers in Europe”. The secretary for Universities and Research put emphasis on the service carried out by the academicians in society, during “hard times”, and affirmed that the more quality the university has, the better services it provides society with. “This building represents the symbol of what the university is able to do for society when it has the necessary means”, he concluded.

The dean of the Faculty was glad with the new building after all these years of waiting and thanked all those who made it possible and contributed in some way over these years. Also, he noted that the building is “the renewal of the commitment of the Faculty to the university institution and society”.

The architect Enric Sòria went through the challenges this building meant, such as having to expand a building like the historical headquarters of the Faculty, which won the first edition of the FAD Awards. “The measures and volumetric parameters of this historical place have been respected”, he said. He mentioned relevant aspects of the new building such as the transparency of walls or a way to create several spaces of different dimensions. Also, he highlighted the fact that this building was thought to undergo changes whenever it is necessary to adapt to the academic activities in the future. Then, Andreu Lezcano noted that the new building of Law meant “one of the hardest challenges for the UB from an architectural and urban perspective”. The new building has reached “its fitting, with simplicity, with the dignity the city and the university deserve”.

The new building cost around 40 million euros and was co-funded by the Generalitat de Catalunya. This building, an architectural model itself, was projected by the architects Enric Sòria, Juan Ignacio Quintana, Neus Lacomba and Victor Setoain, and carried out by the companies Acciona and Sorigué, under the supervision of the architect Jordi Marcè. The building will have an impact on more than 7,000 students and will support the teaching of five bachelorʼs degrees of the center. Regarding the bachelorʼs degree in Industrial Relations, the building will allow the teaching of this discipline in the center, which was taught outside so far.

The building has four floors, a basement and a wide range of facilities designed to reach the excellence in academic performance. It has around 150 offices for the teaching staff, fourteen big rooms, four computer rooms, twelve meeting rooms, six work rooms, four offices for student associations and a staff room. It also offers rooms for file archives, audiovisual services, and a dining room for the students. It has facilities such as twenty small rooms for small work groups, a room for mediation and another for trial simulations.

The students will carry out several practical activities: play the role of a lawyer, prosecutor and judges, or carry out mediation practices. Other simulations will be carried out, such as useful negotiations for the students of Political Sciences, and social negotiations, suitable for the students of Industrial Relations. The students of Law and Criminology will undergo their practices on interrogation or crime victim assistance, among a wide range of training opportunities.

Pictures of the building and the opening ceremony are available on Flickr:

UB Law building 25 photos

Opening ceremony for the Faculty of Law 17 photos