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Webinar Recordings

Published
May 5, 2026

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A 21st Century Learning Environment

Recycling a Victorian Hospital

By: Eleanor Magennis, Glasgow School of Art | Damien Toner, The University of Edinburgh | James Nelmes, Bennetts Associates | Trevor Wills, University Design Forum

Join to hear about the aims of the University Design Forum and how to redesign a historical building into a modern learning environment.
Abstract: This event is a collaboration between SCUP and the University Design Forum.

Please join to hear about the aims of the University Design Forum which are similar to SCUP but also how to redesign a historical building into a modern learning environment.

The Edinburgh Futures Institute at the University of Edinburgh is a major investment for one of the world’s leading academic institutions. Having purchased the City’s Old Royal Infirmary, the University embarked on a nine-year project to bring the dilapidated, but much loved, Grade A Listed building back to life as a centre for interdisciplinary teaching and research. After a short introduction to the building, this session will explore the project vision, realisation and lessons learnt along the way.

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Conference Presentations,Conference Recordings

Published
June 17, 2025

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At the Edge: Connecting Campus and Community Through Transformative Reuse

By: Joe Banks, Director of Construction, Wesleyan University | Tom Davies, Executive Director of Planning, Design and Construction, Amherst College | Jason Forney, Principal, Bruner/Cott Architects

Every campus has underused edges it can leverage as important connections to community within and beyond its boundaries Transformative reuse provides an opportunity to deploy new programs, restore important historic structures, and foster community in different ways. In this session, we’ll discuss how Wesleyan University and Amherst College invested in an underused, historic campus-edge buildings to develop a nexus for creative community, a student run hub, and a think tank for the humanities.
Abstract: Every campus has underused edges it can leverage as important connections to community within and beyond its boundaries Transformative reuse provides an opportunity to deploy new programs, restore important historic structures, and foster community in different ways. In this session, we’ll discuss how Wesleyan University and Amherst College invested in an underused, historic campus-edge buildings to develop a nexus for creative community, a student run hub, and a think tank for the humanities. You will discover parallels and ways of employing similar strategies to create meaningful connections between the campus and community. Furthermore, we’ll demonstrate how the reuse of existing buildings offers design inspiration while avoiding the embodied carbon of building new.

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Planning for Higher Education Journal

Published
April 30, 2025

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Colocating Dissimilar Academic Programs

A School of Nursing and a School of Engineering Align for Mutually Beneficial Outcomes

By: Ed Stand, BArch, LEED BD+C, AIA, Richard S. Leddy, MBA, P.E., and Laura White, BArch, AIA, LEED AP, WELL AP

Respecting mission-oriented mutual goals, two schools at Hofstra University shaped an improbable pedagogical partnership through cross-functional collaboration and data-informed decision-making.

From Volume 53 Number 2 | January–March 2025

Abstract: Administrators at colleges and universities across the country face mounting concerns over enrollment rates, curricular rigor, and climbing real estate costs. These challenges are particularly daunting for liberal arts institutions, many of which have pivoted or are pivoting to STEM programs out of necessity. Cross-disciplinary colocation strategies can enhance hands-on learning opportunities while optimizing spatial and financial resources. This article explores the planning approach to forming mutually successful partnerships between dissimilar academic programs through mission-oriented cross-functional collaboration, including examples of tools and processes for data-informed decision-making.

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Conference Presentations

Published
April 2, 2025

Reimagining Safe and Affordable Student Housing for a Dense Urban Campus

Abstract: Campus housing is foundational for student retention and academic success, yet it's often beyond the means of many students. To address the growing crisis of student homelessness, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) developed an affordable, co-housing model that changes the conversation around equity and diversity. In this session, we'll explore the unique programmatic elements necessary for developing an equitable campus community. This case study will introduce a new model for vertically integrated co-housing solutions that you can apply on your campus when planning affordable housing projects that enhance student life and learning.

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Conference Presentations

Published
October 23, 2024

Reimagining Clippinger: Adaptive Reuse of an OU Post-war Science Building

By: Stephen Bergmeier, Marvin E. and Ann Diley White Professor of Chemistry, Ohio University-Main Campus | Matt Garrett, Principal, Flad Architects | John Wroblewski, Architect/Science Planner, Flad Architects

Since Ohio University's (OU) Clippinger Laboratory was built in 1967 higher education has changed dramatically: scientific research, instruction, and the students themselves.
Abstract: Since Ohio University's (OU) Clippinger Laboratory was built in 1967 higher education has changed dramatically: scientific research, instruction, and the students themselves. Through several examples over the 10-year period of Clippinger's reimagining, this session will examine a process for rethinking a building's vision, developing space needs, and responding to changing times so that the building can continue to serve the College of Arts and Sciences into the future. Come learn a set of adaptive reuse tools to guide planning and design, including alignment of program and capacity, compliance with regulations, and achieving sustainability and environmental goals.

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Planning for Higher Education Journal

Published
August 16, 2024

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Bridging Research Silos

Improve Collaboration with a Planning Framework

By: Donald Merritt, PhD, and Craig Park, BSArch, Assoc. AIA

The authors emphasize practical applications and the integration of diverse expertise as a transformative approach to educational facility design.

From Volume 52 Number 4 | July–September 2024

Abstract: This article explores the application of interdisciplinary translational design (ITD) as a method to overcome disciplinary silos, enhance collaboration and integration across various fields, and promote a culture of respect and cooperation. ITD facilitates the creation of adaptable, technology-rich environments supportive of future-oriented research. Emphasizing practical applications and the integration of diverse expertise, ITD is presented as a transformative approach to educational facility design, fostering more effective interdisciplinary interactions and optimized research outcomes.

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Conference Presentations

Published
July 23, 2024

Improving Campus Character and Performance Through Renovation and Adaptive Reuse

By: Ryan Jones, Partner | Kerry Phillips, Associate | John Scherding, Former University Architect and Director of Sustainability

Breathing new life into old buildings is one of the most sustainable available campus strategies and offers benefits beyond carbon reduction. Renovation and adaptive reuse support a triple bottom line of environmental, financial, and social wellbeing.
Abstract: Breathing new life into old buildings is one of the most sustainable available campus strategies and offers benefits beyond carbon reduction. Renovation and adaptive reuse support a triple bottom line of environmental, financial, and social wellbeing. This session will explore renovation at Trinity University from campus, design, and building perspectives, outlining strategies for enhancing the character and performance of buildings, districts, and the campus. Join us to gain a multi-dimensional understanding of the risks and rewards of renovation and adaptive reuse to help strategically guide comprehensive environmental, financial, and campus planning efforts for colleges and universities.

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Conference Presentations

Published
July 23, 2024

Reconnect, Reuse, Revitalize, Recruit: Addressing Aging Campus Facilities

By: Tom King, Director of Facilities, College of Engineering | Erin Mulrooney, Associate Dean for Administration | William Voulgaris, Principal

Institutions are constrained by housing modern programs within aging facilities.
Abstract: Institutions are constrained by housing modern programs within aging facilities. Cornell University's College of Engineering addressed these challenges while collecting programs and enhancing the user experience. This session will explore project goals that resolve pragmatic challenges of aging facilities and evolving programs with interventions that help support the future of academic programs and impact the overall cohesiveness of the larger campus. We'll identify opportunities to solve programmatic and utilitarian challenges within the confines of aging facilities while helping to improve the student experience, recruit researchers, and make connections between buildings and across the campus.

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Report

Published
July 3, 2024

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When City Parks Are Your Quad

Urban Campus Planning for Safety and Well-Being

By: Joel Pettigrew, MA, Higher Education Administrator and Strategist

This is a SCUP Fellow Research Project Final Report for the 2022–2023 program. This report explores how the urban campus can best support student development in a safe, yet open environment.
Abstract: How can the campus best support student development in a safe, yet open environment? On an urban campus, these concerns are intensified: There is much more localized activity for students to engage with in their city environment, and many more stakeholders influence how the institution can assert itself in that environment. In this 2022-2023 SCUP Fellow research report, Joel Pettigrew reflects on how campus edge dynamics and student sense of security play out at several urban campuses. Pettigrew weaves together his operational understanding of campus life with a design understanding of how planners and architects approach the campus to explore how these “two languages” inform student security and well-being, and notes in conclusion that there are many research threads yet to follow.

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Planning for Higher Education Journal

Published
May 29, 2024

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Stakeholder Engagement Paves the Journey from Learning to Employment

Future Nurses ‘See’ Their Success in a Revitalized Corporate Building

By: Rob Koran, EMBA, Michael Ufer, MArch, and Lindsey Feola, MArch

Planners for West Coast University connected with stakeholders to solicit input and gain consensus on decisions. The result is a technology-rich building and academic program that helps nursing students achieve their objectives

From Volume 52 Number 3 | April–June 2024

Abstract: Planners for West Coast University connected with stakeholders to solicit input and gain consensus on decisions. The result is a technology-rich building and academic program that helps nursing students achieve their objectives

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