Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Drury University

Outdoor Classrooms

  • 11/01/13
Drury

PHOTOS COURTESY OF DRURY UNIVERSITY

Drury University in Springfield, MO, has appeared on The Princeton Review’s Green College Guide four years in a row, and the university prioritizes outdoor learning spaces. In 2011, two campus buildings — Belle Hall and Turner Hall — were dismantled and Drury’s sustainability council collaborated with Drury students, staff, faculty and alumni to decide what to do with the space. The result was the Kellogg Green Space, a multi-use area for recreation, gardens, outdoor classrooms and more.

When then-president Todd Parnell’s father passed away, well-wishers gave donations to the green space in lieu of flowers, and this helped fund the outdoor classroom that now exists in the space. The design for the classroom utilized recycled parapet stones from Belle Hall and limestone cores from the newly constructed O’Reilly Family Event Center.

“The parapet stones link us to our Drury past on that site, and the chunks of limestone connect us to the substrate of our Ozarks hills and Karst geology — two things the Parnell family loves: Drury and the Ozarks,” says Director of Campus Sustainability Dr. Wendy Anderson.

Perhaps the most visible outdoor classroom on campus is located centrally in Burnham Circle. Classes often meet here in the spring, summer and fall. Drury architecture alumnus Jody Sarkodee-Adoo ’04 designed the classroom.

A smaller study space tucked between two buildings on the west side of campus, the Philosopher’s Table provides a quieter place for contemplation and reflection. Legend has it that if a student studies for an exam here, that student is sure to pass.

This article originally appeared in the College Planning & Management November 2013 issue of Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • FGCU Breaks Ground on New Health Sciences Building

    Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) has launched construction on a major new academic facility that leaders say will reshape healthcare education in Southwest Florida for decades to come, according to university news.

  • Tennessee Middle School Completes Health, Life Safety Renovations

    The Giles County Board of Education in Pulaski, Tenn., recently announced that a series of renovation projects has been completed at Bridgeforth Middle School, according to a news release. The district partnered with Wold Architects & Engineers and Brindley Construction to modernize building systems at one of the district’s oldest schools.

  • Children walking along bright school corridor with motion blur

    How Next-Gen Design Is Reshaping the Student Experience

    The environments where students learn play a crucial role in shaping their growth in and out of the classroom. By centering design on well-being, flexibility, and purpose, districts can ensure their facilities remain vibrant community assets for many years to come.

  • Full Sail University Announces First Student Housing Facility

    Full Sail University in Winter Park, Fla., recently announced that development has begun on its first student housing community, according to a news release. The university is partnering with Nvision Development for construction and long-term management of the facility, which will stand five stories and have the capacity for more than 570 beds.