Purdue University

Highlights

• Site – 116,000 sf

• LSRS assessment and utilization data-informed classroom optimization strategies.

• Universal classroom design guidelines bolster consistency, belonging, and student success.

• A symposium engaged experts on the future of learning spaces.

• Test fits examined how to utilize existing space for learning at scale.

• The project balances incremental adaptations with thoughtful innovation and expansion.

• Undergraduate interior design students designed future-ready classrooms for the campus.

Perspectives

Purdue’s Classroom Master Plan restructured instructional space to support its mission of delivering a world- class, high-impact, accessible residential education. The plan aligned Purdue’s classroom and technological infrastructure with evolving pedagogies to meet instructional needs over the next decade. The planning team conducted a comprehensive analysis of 291 centrally scheduled classrooms and a high-level review of instructional labs and informal study spaces. Recommendations included updates to classroom policies, right- sizing classrooms, design guidelines and standards, low-cost renovations, and new future facility opportunities. These strategies address enrollment growth, experiential learning, and priorities around equity and inclusion and underscore the renewed importance of in-person engagement.

The 16-month planning process emphasized engagement and analysis. The team developed a web-based application to assess 291 classrooms using Educause’s Learning Space Rating System (LSRS), which measures learning space effectiveness. This quantitative data was combined with post-pandemic utilization metrics to understand how adjustments to time, space, and delivery could optimize instruction at Purdue. In parallel, the team conducted deep qualitative engagement to ensure the plan addressed diverse needs. This included 18 stakeholder meetings, 4 standing committees, surveys, listening sessions, and student-led interior design projects. A campus-wide open house and a month-long Future of the Classroom Symposium brought together national thought leaders, Purdue faculty, and students to discuss the future of learning and instructional space design. A university-hosted website provided ongoing project updates and engagement opportunities. The insights from these efforts shaped a four-year implementation strategy to enhance classrooms and informal learning spaces.

The plan prioritizes cost-effective improvements while providing a strategic framework for long-term space transformations. By balancing pragmatic, scalable solutions with visionary goals, Purdue’s Classroom Master Plan ensures that instructional spaces continue evolving to support high-impact, student-centered learning. The plan establishes baseline equity guidelines for existing classrooms—enhancing visibility, movement, and flexibility—and active guidelines that amplify belonging for new classrooms and renovations. Paired with equity-centered scheduling policy updates, the project humanizes instructional space and scheduling, ensuring a more inclusive, student-centered learning environment that fosters connection and belonging across the Purdue community.

Project Team

Ayers Saint Gross