Learning Resources

Abstract: Historic campus buildings are often perceived as a burden, but by integrating them into your campus planning, their continued reuse can help solve some of the specific challenges facing university planners today, specifically in the context of sustainability. There are numerous case studies that demonstrate the successful adaptive reuse of varied campus buildings as well as an undeniable body of evidence showing the benefits of such an approach in working toward carbon neutrality. As long-term stewards of their built environments, colleges and universities are uniquely positioned to realize enduring savings from investing in the energy performance of existing buildings.

Abstract: Sustainable planning is a powerful tool in creating campus facilities that are environmentally, economically, and academically beneficial. As interconnected communities, college campuses provide an excellent model for sustainable intervention strategies. The University of British Columbia and the City University of New York’s Lehman College have both initiated “living building” projects in which engineering systems are designed to behave like thriving organisms. Clarkson University and Wentworth Institute of Technology are both planning student centers designed to tap into excess energy loads. Each of the projects presented in these case studies began with fundamental and smart planning.