Learning Resources

Abstract: The University System of Georgia has radically altered its approach to measuring space utilization. We here present the data set generated by the inaugural run of the new methodology, which shows tremendous variation in campus space profiles across the system. The data provide compelling evidence that thinking differently about space will profoundly affect college and university planning.

Abstract: As with all educational institutions, the visual identity of a Christian college results from both a professional’s design principles and users’ own experiences and associations. While the two may be related, they are by no means the same. A logical symbolic center for many Christian campuses, a chapel facilitates religious activity and carries emotional attachments bound up with the community’s sense of place. However, it is not clear how the community members of a Christian college perceive the importance of their chapel relative to the importance placed on it by an architect’s strong campus design principles.
Calvin College, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, serves as a case study, offering an example of how a college community might regard the importance of a chapel building over and against its architect’s strong design principles. The chapel building was not conceived as a primary expression of the college’s visual identity and thus was only incidentally associated with the architect’s overarching vision for the campus. This case study asks if the community of Calvin College perceives the chapel as a powerful campus placemarker contributing to the current visual identity of the institution. The results of this study illustrate that a chapel building can work as an institutional symbol for a Christian college, representing the institution’s identity even when it stands apart from strong campus design principles.

Abstract: Diverse populations, changing technology, and a desire to create community are driving change in higher education. We propose the concepts of Limitless Learning, in which learning can happen anytime, by anyone, anywhere, in any way. In this article, we propose a planning strategy highlighting adaptability, which is the key to planning campus facilities that provide boundary-free environments for the short and long term. In the short term, adaptable spaces seamlessly support limitless learning. They allow students to affect their environment and make it work how they work. In the longer term, adaptability means planning for inevitable change.

Abstract: The design of higher education facilities is increasingly seen by university leadership as a strategic tool to attract and retain top faculty, staff, and students. The design of space has also been linked to increased levels of innovation, creative thinking, and collaboration. But with greater pressure from state and national governments to cut costs, how can institutions of higher learning ensure that the buildings they design are cost efficient and still effective? In her article, architect and SCUP member Debi McDonald outlines five trends in higher education design and how they can assist institutions in meeting their objectives.

Abstract: During a discussion exploring a proposed campus center renovation at Rollins College, a dialogue emerged about the institution’s plan, facility functions, and ultimate student life experience. To capture this dynamic exchange, the design team created a strategic visioning exercise—“Bubble Goo”—to better understand the relationship of the proposed renovation to other “neighborhood” buildings. In this article, the authors unveil this successful new collaborative approach to long-term planning and space allocation and explore the significance and benefit of understanding every campus building, their individual functions, and how to create meaningful and strategic connections.

Abstract: This article explores the challenges and opportunities in transforming the former Camarillo State Mental Hospital into a 21st-century campus of interdisciplinary education for California State University Channel Islands, the newest campus in the California State University system. The university, guided by the campus master plan by Ayers Saint Gross, is transforming the hospital’s historic structures, originally designed to isolate patients, into open, collaborative environments to promote integrative learning. This article focuses on the integration of planning efforts with the university’s academic priorities, highlighting the balancing act between preserving historic integrity and advancing institutional goals.

Abstract: This article presents a rigorous methodology for objectively analyzing whether a college or university should drill for natural gas on property it owns, either at its own expense or by contracting with a for-profit exploration and production company. It describes the acquisition of gas well production data and the utilization of that data in a mathematical model to forecast likely production from a new well. In addition, the article describes the financial analysis used to assess the likely fiscal impact of drilling a well and summarizes the non-quantitative factors that should also be considered in making a decision whether to drill for gas.