Learning Resources

Abstract: The challenges of managing physical space in public higher education are often left unspoken and underresearched. This article is based on a multiple-case study of three urban universities; decision-making processes are examined with particular attention to who has institutional decision-making authority. Effective and efficient space management is important because the use of space on campus can contribute to research and practice by promoting innovation and collaboration, or it can isolate individuals and departments in silos. This study identifies three distinct challenges related to space management on campus: the quality of space, the location of space, and the quantity of space. The research findings accentuate the importance of (1) having a well-defined decision-making process, (2) having knowledgeable decision makers, (3) delegating decision-making authority, and (4) having accurate quantitative and qualitative data to inform decisions.

Abstract: This article summarizes the results from an October 2011 think tank called “Physical Place on Campus: Summit on Community,” which included 10 higher education associations and 50 thought leaders from the fields of architecture, planning, academic affairs, student life, and facility-related industries. Findings were developed using a qualitative research methodology, and the summit’s conclusions challenge higher education’s conventional approaches to facility planning, design, and management. Participants argued that the creation of campus community is critical for learning; significant conclusions suggest longstanding and centralized facilities may impede both community development and higher education’s civic goals, while the most significant barrier to change may be reluctance among campus leadership.

Abstract: Throughout the history of a four-year university, there are large numbers of records generated, maintained, and archived when campus buildings are constructed, renovated, or demolished. At Illinois State University, the Facilities Planning office is the keeper and protector of the university’s irreplaceable plans, manuals, contracts, and other pertinent documents. The office is currently using an external space to store these documents that is unsuitable and harmful to the documents themselves. Hence, the authors embarked on a survey research project of seven midwestern university archive libraries to determine what characteristics are important in a successful design that could be used by Facilities Planning and other architecture or engineering offices to create future archive spaces.

Abstract: A popular response to meeting the diverse spiritual and religious needs of constituents of educational campuses is to provide a multi-faith space. Users of these facilities have a wide range of cultural and aesthetic expectations for worship space. For planners, administrators, and designers, this variety of space needs and expectations can be daunting. Historic examples of multi-faith centers may not serve well as models since they were often designed for just Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish faiths. This article identifies the components necessary in today’s culture to create and evaluate a successful multi-faith space located on a campus of higher education.

Abstract: This article describes the planning process undertaken at a large, regional comprehensive university to create a space within existing buildings aimed at improving student success in introductory mathematics. It demonstrates the need for integrated planning grounded in academic priorities and student success models.

Abstract: The University of Utah administration introduced a major initiative to ensure that each student has an opportunity for a transformative educational experience. In response to this challenge, the Department of Geology and Geophysics developed a prototype for a transformative educational environment in the new Frederick Albert Sutton building. This built environment is designed to engage, inspire, and teach, and its accomplishments set a high bar for campus design. The result is a new paradigm for campus planning. This article traces the pioneering Sutton Geology and Geophysics Building as an exemplary model that uses two tangible design elements to support an outreach vision: academic branding and showcasing of the academic discipline. The reactions to the Sutton Building and the documented outcomes are the measure of ultimate success. The second half of the article presents the framework used to create a transformative educational environment, applicable to other campus buildings of any size or academic discipline. A road map of seven steps leads designers and academics to understand the creative vision and presents methods for implementing and repeating successes that change the educational environment through innovative campus design.

Abstract: Beautiful buildings are built for schools from kindergarten through higher education. Why do we insist on designing our learning settings based on just the question, “How many ‘bums’ in seats do you need?” and the response, “Oh, we have a template for that” (i.e., row-by-column seating with X numbers). The world of education is being turned upside down by the “entrepreneurs” of education—the K–12 arena—as changes to pedagogy, technology, and space are being made and children’s brains are actually being altered due to the digital age. Higher education’s educators and the designers who develop educational solutions are hereby issued a wake-up call to change.

Abstract: This project examines the evolution of the campuses of Harvard, Yale, Penn, Princeton, and Columbia (collectively referred to in this study as “the Five”) from their founding, through the centuries of their development, and into the future to better understand how academic and other forces gave form to the buildings and grounds and how historical outcomes may inform future growth.

Essays and illustrations present and analyze the vision plans currently under consideration by each university. As these plans are works-in-progress, web links are provided to follow evolution beyond today. A capstone essay titled “Hindsight-Foresight” presents themes linking the past, present, and future of campus development at the Five. The goal of the project–through publication, exhibition, and live presentation/discussion–is to engage campus planners, other design professionals, and architectural historians in further exploring how academic and other forces gave form to the buildings and grounds and how historical outcomes may inform future growth.