José María Sánchez García was commissioned to build the new law school on Universidad CEU San Pablo’s Moncloa campus, in Madrid. Construction is already underway at Julián Romea 16, a few meters from the current location.

The 8,500-square-meter new building will contain twenty classrooms, meeting rooms, offices, and a multipurpose auditorium seating 120. There will also be a modern courtroom for trial simulations.

The circulation elements and the connection between classrooms are thought out as areas for encounters, study, or socializing. A large central void links up the different levels through a series of wooden tiers. The idea was that a concatenation of spots at which to stop and stay would be conducive to spontaneous interaction among students.

The tiers, which are the trigger of the project, tie the rest of the program together. The classrooms line the perimeter of the building, optimizing the interior space. The strategy took off from emptying the plot to form a new garden level, which would serve as an open-air place for students to linger in. This results in a perimetral ring of outdoor public space, a second ring in which the educational program is organized, and the central void where the stair-tiers are.