Creative Solutions

Trends in higher education are leading a transformation of buildings and interiors on college campuses, says Melanie Conant, NCIDQ, director of Interior Design for the Boston-based firm The Architectural Team. The solutions can be simple: Use furniture to better respond to today’s campus dynamic.

University officials increasingly value collaboration, “informal learning” and ways to spruce up classrooms and common areas while keeping costs low. “Often the solution is to create new spaces in existing buildings,” says Conant, “using creative approaches with furnishings, lighting and other relatively inexpensive approaches.”

The Architectural Team’s expertise in adaptive reuse of older buildings, coupled with Conant’s significant experience, has led to a few valuable recommendations:

  1. The workplace crossover. More and more, higher education interiors are starting to resemble new corporate workplaces. The corporate world has embraced the open-plan office, for instance, and Conant now sees that happening on college campuses.

    Conant recommends that underused private faculty offices be converted to meeting and conference rooms with shared workspaces and desks available. Today’s less formal workplaces also use “breakout spaces” with small furniture groupings — some of them grouped around an interactive screen — as well as lounge-type seating with electricity and data plug-ins. Conant also recommends moveable furniture, which students can adjust themselves and adapt to suit the moment’s need.

  2. Capturing open space, indoors. Big open spaces can actually help students to focus, especially when they are designed to be filled with natural daylight.

    “The healthiest kind of illumination is daylight,” says Conant, “which helps students stay alert and feel part of an active environment.” Another advantage of open space is flexibility: colleges can use modular, partition-type walls that move like furniture and furniture on casters, allowing students to easily open spaces for club meetings, parties, a movie, a music or theater performance, or a reading or guest lecture.

  3. Reinforcing community on campus. Feeling like a part of a community can improve student performance as well as retention rates, recent research has shown. Well designed and inspired spaces can help to create this atmosphere.

    Community can be expressed in many ways. Apart from the informal gathering spaces, comfortable furniture and daylight already mentioned, providing ease of access to shared resources can reinforce a positive group dynamic. Spaces that convey a sense of security help, too, by making students feel safer among their peers. And a sense of community integration can perhaps be fully expressed through creative means; for instance, large-scale locally produced artwork can express shared community ideals or tenets.

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • Pfluger Architects Hires New Higher Ed Practice Leader

    Pfluger Architects, based in Houston, Texas, recently announced Christopher Laack as its new higher education practice leader, according to a news release. Laack has more than 20 years of experience as a licensed architect and most recently served as the Principal and Commercial Practice Leader for VLK Architects.

  • Shaping Campus Identity: The Crucial Role of Landscape Architecture in Campus Design

    Landscape architecture plays a crucial role in shaping the overall experience, functionality, and identity of college and university campuses. The design and layout of outdoor spaces influence everything from the interactions between students to the ease with which people navigate the campus. A thoughtfully designed campus provides not only a functional environment for daily activities but also a space that inspires academic success and fosters personal growth.

  • Designing a Performing Arts Center from a PE Perspective

    Designing a top-tier performing arts facility for a high school is a complex endeavor that demands a delicate balance between advanced technical specifications and practical budget considerations. Nevertheless, it represents a crucial initiative that enriches educational and community engagements.

  • Zurn Elkay Announces Updated Line of Filtered Bottle Filling Stations

    Zurn Elkay Water Solutions recently released an updated line of its Elkay Filtered Bottle Filling Stations, according to a news release. The new line features a sleeker design and functional upgrades to help simplify filter maintenance and reduce long-term labor costs.