The "toy" is the new University of Denver College of Law building.
Incorporating cutting-edge technology and designed to capture the essence of Colorado, the faculty, architects and students believe it's one of the most inviting law school environments in the country.
"I would rate the building as equal to the very best. I would be inclined to say it is the very best, but I want to be respectful of my peers," said professor Arthur Best.
The DU law school, with the DU signature blend of red brick, limestone trim and a roof of seam copper, is the first certified "green" law school in the nation. It was built to meet the exacting standards of a quasi-governmental group: the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification system.
"We wanted the building to reflect one of the great assets of Colorado, namely light and the outdoors," said Best, chairman of the faculty building committee. "We wanted the building to be friendly because we believe in general that law is constructive and a positive force in society."
Shawn Gillum, a third-year law student from Lakewood, compares the old school to the new school in terms baseball fans understand.
"When the Rockies used to play at old Mile High the first two years, it was kind of nice," said Gillum, who spent his first two years at the former law school near the old Stapleton airport. "But when Coors Field opened a few years later, you walked into Coors Field and all you could say was 'wow.' I had the same experience with the new law school."
For lovers of the outdoors and grand old American national park lodges, the huge west-side lobby of the building is strikingly similar to the grand lobby of the Old Faithful Inn at Yellowstone National Park.
Both provide areas for people to mingle and meet. Yet there are alcoves where a person can study or quietly chat with a friend.
At the "Law Forum," people can gaze out at the Rocky Mountains.
The forum features a 30-foot-high ceiling and two grand staircases with balconies with couches, tables and chairs. It can hold up to 300 people.
Mark Rodgers, university architect, said the forum is the law school's "town square."
Any student or faculty member passing through the forum instantly will know if the school is hosting a special event, Rodgers said.
"When the school brings in a guest speaker, you can't help but know something is happening," he said. "People wander in and see the action going on."
The law school design was meant to underline a point that the law school faculty, dean Mary Ricketson and chancellor Dan Ritchie wanted to make: a beautiful building built to last 300 years designed with the environment in mind.
Best said it was the right thing to do.
"First, we will save money and inflict less cost on the environment having built this building green than we would have had we built a conventional building," Best said.
"Second is that one of our law school's strongest programs is its environmental law and natural resources program. It seemed like a great opportunity to practice what we preach," Best said.
There are 2,600 data ports throughout the building, including a data port at each seat in the 12 large classrooms that each hold from 50 to 90 students. It enables the students to plug in their laptops, which are used by a vast majority of students. All 12 classrooms are designated "smart" classrooms because they are equipped with videotaping capabilities.
There is also a 120-seat moot court, a courtroom that resembles those of the Colorado Supreme Court and Colorado Court of Appeals. There is a second, smaller courtroom, complete with jury box, that is similar to those found in the district courts throughout the state.
There are also five seminar rooms, five conference rooms and a three-story law library, with 82 seats and study tables with power outlets and high-speed data access. On top of that, students have been provided 30 private study rooms for groups or individuals near the library.
Liz Elliott, a third-year law student, said the furniture, the brightness and the technology make the new building a "thousand times better" than the old one.
"The biggest thing is the technology. On the desks you have Internet connections and power hookups for every seat. In the rooms, just about everything is hooked up," Elliott said. "It is much brighter and more aesthetically pleasing to the eye than the old school."
The building design also accentuates what Best and Ricketson say is an effort to change the old culture and philosophy often found in law schools of the past.
In law schools of the past, the relationship between law student and professor was often strained, Best said.
"The old concept was antagonistic with a professor trying to demolish the student's self-respect and ego structure as much as humanly possible," Best said.
With improved technology and sound advice on teaching practices from DU's Center for Teaching and Learning, the idea now is to work with the student - to engage in collaborative effort.
"We try to get away from the authoritarian stance of the instructor and move toward a field that everyone - students and instructor - are colleagues in kind of a conference to figure things out," Best said.
Ricketson said the design of the classrooms, often with four aisles, allows the professor to mingle with the class. Even in classes of 90 students, the professor can easily walk into their midst or stand behind them as they view a video presentation.
"They (the professors) feel closer to the students," Ricketson said. "They are able to walk out in the aisles comfortably."
The dean said the study rooms, which can hold up to six students, and the alcoves and the forum, also invite collaboration and participation among students and faculty.
"Students come up to me every day and say, 'I absolutely love this buildings.' It is welcoming, it's informal and it invites collaboration. It is very easy for students to sit in the forum and meet other people. And I heard someone say the other day that 'I see faculty now I didn't see - we just run into them,"' Ricketson said.
Ricketson is proud of the "green" designation for the new law school and proud of the diversity and culture she sees evolving.
The building is designed to use 40 percent less energy than a comparable conventional building; sensors turn off lights when a class or seminar room isn't in use; and infrared sensors on water faucets and other water-efficient fixtures result in a 39 percent water-use reduction compared with a conventional building.
There are showers available for students, faculty and staff who walk or ride their bikes. There is one electrical recharge station for hybrid cars and electrical outlets available on all levels of the five-level, 205,000-square-foot parking garage.
Ricketson has no doubt that the building will help attract the very best students.
"I think the building itself is a selling point. The university campus is magnificent, and the culture we are building within the walls is a welcoming, rich, diverse culture," she said. "We have cutting-edge technology and a wonderful environment."
