Learning Resources

Planning Takes Tragedy to Triumph

Removing a Campus Wall Raised Community Engagement and Neighborhood Support

By: Timothy Shippey, MArch, and José Ramón Tagle, MArch

After the 2017 earthquake in Mexico City, Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey underwent a transformative rebuilding process. Civic engagement was prioritized, resulting in buy-in, support, and representation from the community.

From Volume 52 Number 3 | April–June 2024

Abstract: After the 2017 earthquake in Mexico City, Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey’s campus underwent a transformative rebuilding process that emerged as a pedagogical prototype for the university system. This article explores the design strategies that prioritized civic engagement, resulting in buy-in, support, and representation from the community. It also describes the methodology behind blurring the boundaries between the university and its surroundings through lean principles in set-based design, strategies for resilient building, and insights into effective collaboration.

Institutions Mentioned: Tecnológico de Monterrey
Planning Types: Campus Planning
Tags: Campus Master Planning, Community Engagement, Crisis and Disaster Management, Engaging Stakeholders, Facilities Design, Facilities Planning, Landscape / Open Space, Mixed-Use, Security, Town and Gown, Urban Campus

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Overcoming a $90M Budget Overage in Vanderbilt University’s Residential Colleges

A Multifaceted Team Worked Collaboratively to Stem Overruns

By: David Bailey, BA, AIA, LEED AP, and Walt Massey, BA

The University, architects, engineers, strategic planning consultants, and contractor teams worked hand in hand to peel back the onion to stem the overruns.

From Volume 52 Number 1 | October–December 2023

Abstract: When Vanderbilt University began seeing signs that cost escalation, scope additions, campus requirements, and authentic Collegiate Gothic architecture for their proposed new residence halls were all pressuring the budget, a multifaceted team worked collaboratively and arduously to stem the overruns.

Institutions Mentioned: Vanderbilt University
Planning Types: Campus Planning
Tags: Academic Facility, Engaging Stakeholders, Facilities Design, Facilities Planning, Implementation, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), Mixed-Use, Modifying the Plan, Project Management, Project Management / Delivery, Student Housing

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The Fourth Industrial Revolution

Align Strategic, Physical, and Capital Planning for the Next Generation of Students

By: Jacob Guter, MPA, RA, and Doug Kozma, BSLA, PLA

Michigan Technological University used active stakeholder engagement, frequent reviews, and vigorous discussion to develop its aspirational master plan.

From Volume 51 Number 3 | April–June 2023

Abstract: Profound technological changes are occurring today, and universities need to prepare our students to work and live in this new world. Michigan Technological University (Michigan Tech) is addressing the future of technology in society, academia, and the campus through our Tech Forward Strategic Plan, a bold enrollment and retention initiative, an aggressive capital campaign, and a dynamic hiring initiative. Our aspirational campus master plan, developed in partnership with SmithGroup, an integrated design firm, integrates and supports these initiatives and goals. Active stakeholder engagement, frequent reviews, and vigorous discussion allowed us to craft a campus master plan aligning strategic, physical, and capital planning that supports and drives the university’s 2035 Vision.

Institutions Mentioned: Michigan Technological University
Planning Types: Campus Planning
Tags: Campus Master Planning, Community Engagement, Engaging Stakeholders, Facilities Assessment, Facilities Design, Facilities Planning, Innovation Center, Laboratory Facility, Landscape / Open Space, Placemaking, Public-Private Partnerships (P3), Science / Engineering Facility, Space Assessment, Student Housing

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Getting in the eGame

Esports Streaming Gives the University of Kentucky a New Way to Grow Revenue and Recruit Students

By: Michael Stewart, BS, and Heath Price, MS

The University of Kentucky understood the importance of technology in preparing students for the digital world. With public-private partnerships, it sought opportunities to be an industry leader in leveraging that capacity for its students, faculty, staff, and the community.

From Volume 50 Number 2 | January–March 2022

Abstract: The University of Kentucky (UK) and the University of Kentucky Esports Club worked together to establish the University of Kentucky Esports Lounge. Students were surveyed on their gaming needs, and the resulting wish list (i.e., equipment selection, space configuration, furniture, etc.) fed into the decision-making process by all constituents. The project budget was derived by a larger construction project at the University that focused on student recruitment, community, and connection to the non-student demographic. The UK team ultimately planned and launched the custom facility to meet users’ particular needs—while finding a way for the University to produce an additional revenue stream.

Institutions Mentioned: University of Kentucky
Planning Types: Campus Planning
Tags: Facilities Funding, Facilities Planning, Mixed-Use, New Program or Department, Planning Processes, Public-Private Partnerships (P3), Recreational Facility, Shared Facilities, Student Life / Student Affairs, Technology

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Planning for Higher Education Journal

Published
July 1, 2018

Building Community

Defining, Designing, Developing UniverCity

By: Glenn Miller

From Volume 46 Number 4 | July–September 2018

Institutions Mentioned: Simon Fraser University, Simon Fraser University-Burnaby, University of British Columbia
Planning Types: Campus Planning
Tags: Mixed-Use, Student Housing

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Planning for Higher Education Journal

Published
July 1, 2018

Enhancing the Student Experience Through Placemaking

Georgia Tech’s West Village Dining Commons

By: Lesley Braxton

Students thrive in authentic, multifunctional spaces that foster both individual reflection and social interaction and further the connection between place and the human experience.

From Volume 46 Number 4 | July–September 2018

Institutions Mentioned: Georgia Institute of Technology
Planning Types: Campus Planning
Tags: Dining Facility, Facilities Design, Mixed-Use, Placemaking

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Planning for Higher Education Journal

Published
April 1, 2018

Campus Renewal

Working With What You’ve Got

By: Sydney Browne,Gary McCluskie

Through a holistic approach emphasizing selective revitalization and limited new construction, Laurentian University transformed its facilities to significantly enhance the student experience.

From Volume 46 Number 3 | April–June 2018

Abstract: A mid-century campus confronted issues of aging infrastructure and tectonic shifts in pedagogy by implementing a comprehensive modernization plan focused on enhancing the student experience. Working with a limited budget, Laurentian University managed to transform its facilities through selective revitalization of nine buildings and some discerning construction to create a new identity, greater connectivity, and a new campus heart to support student interaction and engagement. The creative impetus stemmed from a holistic approach to rejuvenation rather than straightforward expansion—of choosing to build in, not out. This architectural response will enable the university to plan for the next 50 years with consistency and design continuity.

Institutions Mentioned: Laurentian University
Planning Types: Campus Planning
Tags: Academic Facility, Facilities Design, Other Facility, Renovation

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Planning for Higher Education Journal

Published
July 1, 2017

Mind and Body

Wellness Center Trends in U.S. Higher Education

By: Gilah Benson-Tilsen,Rena Cheskis-Gold

Serving the needs of the whole person—mental health, medical care, recreation and fitness, and other services—is critical to both student and institutional success.

From Volume 45 Number 4 | July–September 2017

Abstract: Wellness—including mental health counseling, medical care, fitness and recreation, and other services—is now recognized as a crucial service for higher education institutions to provide to their students. This article discusses current trends in wellness centers at U.S. colleges and universities and challenges the reader to consider questions such as how campuses will meet increasing demands for mental health counseling. We describe how institutions are establishing best practices and building state-of-the-art facilities to serve the needs of the person as a whole. In preparation for renovation or new construction, we recommend that higher education professionals and architects implement a data-driven process to determine how best to serve the student population.

Tags: Facilities Design, Facilities Planning, Health and Wellness, Other Facility, Recreational Facility

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Planning for Higher Education Journal

Published
July 1, 2017

Teaching, Learning, Doing in Collaborative Spaces

By: David Moos,Kimberly Miller,Adam Fontecchio

The intermingling of undergraduate students with grad students, post-docs, faculty, and commercial interests in one innovative facility results in better academic experiences.

From Volume 45 Number 4 | July–September 2017

Abstract: Makerspaces designed for collaborative learning are appearing on campuses throughout the United States, including at Drexel University. These spaces succeed because they permit students to collaborate, observe, and learn from professors and peers. Unique to the Drexel project is the intermingling of engineering undergraduates, graduate students, post-docs, faculty, and commercial interests in one facility with laboratories, machine-shop equipment, and informal study areas. Facilities that give students great visibility into nearby research, contain areas where they can take breaks without leaving the building, and lend themselves to informal encounters with peers, faculty, and others result in better academic experiences for undergraduates.

Institutions Mentioned: Drexel University
Planning Types: Campus Planning
Tags: Adaptive Reuse, Facilities Design, Flexible Learning Spaces, Innovation Center, Learning Environments, Maker Space, Science / Engineering Facility

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Planning for Higher Education Journal

Published
July 1, 2017

Enhancing the Student Experience in the Sciences

The Pennsylvania State University Creates a Nucleus for Student Education and Advising

By: Nicole M. Dress

Science education and science student retention are improved by transforming an underutilized campus space into an Academic Support Center that colocates critical undergraduate academic services.

From Volume 45 Number 4 | July–September 2017

Abstract: A critical concern of universities today is ensuring that students remain in their selected major and graduate promptly. In addition, there has been a renewed emphasis on scientific education presented to non-science majors. Through the renovation of the Ritenour Building, Penn State’s Eberly College of Science created an Academic Support Center as a hub of advising and assistance for prospective students, science majors, and science education. The center’s layout provides opportunities to share knowledge of science teaching with advising staff and the online learning department. The design of this space has been crafted to enhance these retention and educational goals.

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