The committee is looking at the state of current HLS facilities and how they will accommodate HLS’ future plans.

In the course of their research, the committee has estimated that HLS will need 300,000 to 350,000 square feet of total space.

HLS has already moved into two new buildings away from its campus north of Harvard Yard. Some administrative offices and research programs such as the Civil Rights Project now operate out of buildings at 124 and 125 Mt. Auburn St.

This aspect of the committee’s exploration is closely linked with the HLS strategic plan, approved last year by faculty to address the school’s most pressing issues by expanding and improving programs with financing from a $400 million capital campaign.

The strategic plan’s calls to hire 15 additional permanent faculty, create more student space and expand research programs would all required more space.

Based on the strategic plan and past growth patterns in HLS history, the committee has tried to project the school’s space needs in 20 years, according to Kagan.

HLS is already a much larger school that its major competitors—Yale and Stanford. In the past, some faculty have raised concerns about further expansion. But the need for expansion is now generally accepted by the faculty, according to Kagan.

But possibly standing in the way of any such expansion in Cambridge is the presence of a pair of official-designated historic buildings on the HLS campus.

Gropius—an old dorm whose rooms Kagan referred to as “jail cell” style—is a major example of the international modern architectural style and cannot be torn down without going through a long and complicated set of procedures, including approval from the Cambridge Historical Commission.

The HLS student center Harkness Commons is also historical.

The two buildings are a major obstacle to expansion and adaptability on the law school campus.

“The most you could do is gut the inside,” Kagan said.

—Staff writer Stephanie M. Skier can be reached at skier@fas.harvard.edu.