The rising cost of higher education and the proliferation of online learning opportunities has given rise to speculation about the fate of traditional brick-and-mortar universities. However, the role of the residential university is as relevant today as it was when the great universities of Europe were being founded a millennium ago. They are communities of learning, or, in Thomas Jefferson’s phrasing, “academical villages,” where students and faculty can participate in the process of discovery and collaboration.

In addition, institutions are moving toward group work and problem-based learning, and the ubiquity of information technology has changed the very nature of work itself. As lines between work and play increasingly blur in society, so do the physical boundaries that have traditionally separated these spaces. This expresses itself in multifunctional, collaborative spaces that accommodate directed study, social study and informal social interaction.

Well-designed spaces encourage face-to-face interaction and discourse, which become increasingly valuable in today’s digital age, when many students rely on technology to mediate communication. Interpersonal collaboration and community building help to facilitate and inspire a culture of learning, transform the lived experience of a campus and, in turn, increase student attraction and retention.

Creating a “Third Place”

An important concept in community building is the idea of the “third place,” the space where people gather that is neither home nor work. On a campus, collaborative, multi-use spaces create a “third place” atmosphere where students and faculty can interact with one another and build relationships in an environment that exists outside of their usual contexts. Different from academic spaces such as classrooms and offices, or residential spaces such as dorms and apartments, “third places” such as food services, green spaces and common areas are often those most deeply associated with the university experience.

For example, national architecture firm Lord Aeck Sargent recently worked with Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta to design the Billye Suber Aaron Pavilion, which debuted in May 2017. Situated between two of the school’s primary academic buildings, this “third place” facility includes meeting rooms, informal gathering spaces and an open-air rooftop designed to provide connective and collaborative reprieve for medical students, staff and faculty.

From a design standpoint, a collaborative “third space” that is open and inviting, with plentiful natural light and visual transparency, encourages use. With its glass façade, the Billye Suber Aaron Pavilion is the most visible building on the Morehouse campus, allowing students to see one another enjoying the space, thus motivating spontaneous, unplanned use.

Designing Inherent Responsiveness

There is an inherent tension in designing a space that is articulated clearly enough to encourage certain kinds of behavior, yet is flexible enough to accommodate myriad uses that may not have been considered at the time of design. To achieve this, it’s helpful to think in registers of scale and permanence.

The form of the building and the outdoor spaces it creates are the least susceptible to change, so the relationship between indoor and outdoor spaces is critical. The structure of the building is also unlikely to change, so it should be designed to easily accommodate complete rehabilitation or renewal of the space over time.

Building systems are next. Power and data should be distributed broadly, with both wall and floor outlets to allow multiple occupations of the space. The placement of interior walls is critical for visual and acoustical separations, as well as for the scale of the spaces — from large gatherings to intimate conversations — to ensure the space can accommodate the entire spectrum of need. Moveable partitions like white boards or other visual barriers, and flexible, moveable, durable furniture enable students to reconfigure a fixed space to meet changing needs.

At Duke University in Durham, N.C., the nearly abandoned Gross Hall was transformed into a collaborative “center of centers,” connecting the schools of business, law, public policy and engineering. Highly collaborative, formal and informal social spaces throughout Gross Hall include a makerspace for student exploration and the Energy Hub, which revitalized the first floor into a vibrant and engaging social space to foster informal collaboration between students interested in energy and the environment. The Energy Hub has a mix of furniture for different types of interaction, including comfortable, lounge chairs for individuals to relax as well as tables and chairs for group work.

Proximity and movement are also key considerations to the design. Spaces designed for specific use can be treated as destinations that draw students along planned paths. More informal spaces, intended to accommodate spontaneous and serendipitous interaction, are located along these paths or at critical nodes or junctures where chance meetings are likely to occur. In this way, a student attending a specific event in a highly programmed space is also encouraged to interact in unintended ways with other students moving along the same path.

To read the entire article, check out the November/December issue of School Construction News.

Jackson Kane, principal, and Becky McDuffie, senior associate, work for Lord Aeck Sargent, a national architecture, planning and interior design firm.

The post Encouraging Collaboration Through “Third Place” Design appeared first on School Construction News.

DURHAM, N.C. — Duke University in Durham began construction on July 31 on the campus’ new Karsh Alumni and Visitors Center. The center will include event and office space for the Duke Alumni Association as well as a small meeting pavilion wing and visitor center.

Designed to be the first campus stop for returning alumni, prospective students and visitors, the new center will offer amenities such as a coffee bar. Utility installation across the site began in late spring and continued throughout the summer as the first stage of the project. The rest of the project will be completed in phases over a period of two years, with a projected completion in summer 2019.

The Karsh Alumni and Visitors Center was designed by Centerbrook Architects & Planners in Centerbrook, Conn., with locally based LeChase as the construction manager on the project. The 47,000-square-foot project totals nearly 47,000 square feet of combined new construction and renovations, with two new buildings being constructed and a third being renovated. The largest building of the project will be the 20,200-square-foot events building with a grand dining and presentation hall, exhibits and lounges, a café and visitor support services. The second newly constructed building will be a 16,900-square-foot, two-story office designed for staff who support Duke’s alumni and development activities. The existing 7,400-square-foot Forlines House is the third aspect of this project, which will be undergoing renovations.

The three buildings are organized around a large outdoor courtyard that is designed so that a tent can be used for outdoor events, according to Mark Simon, FAIA, principal at Centerbrook Architects. The center will have a capacity of up to 600 people between the conference center and tented space for high-visitation periods such as alumni reunion week or for special-interest events. With multiple rooms in a variety of sizes in Forlines House and in the new office buildings, additional meeting spaces will be available for events with special interests that wish to break into smaller groups or lectures. Additionally, the events center has a grassy front that faces the street, designed so that people can see a “warm, glowing presence” at night that invites people in, according to Simon.

In addition to welcoming visitors, the goal of building the new center is to be able to comfortably handle different-sized groups depending on the occasion, which was a major design challenge, according to Simon. “While we wanted the center to have the capacity for larger populations, we didn’t want it to feel like a big convention center either,” said Simon. “We also wanted it to be warm and welcoming for smaller groups. The way we have broken the spaces up successfully achieves our goal — small groups won’t feel like they are lost, and large groups can be accommodated.”

The function and the particular flexibility of this new construction is unique, according to Simon. “The way the school operates and the type of events they have is unique. Duke alumni are very devoted to their school, and the alumni association is a robust organization. Having a place like this on campus is not common amongst other universities, so it’s a step forward in college alumni relations,” said Simon.

The architectural style of the new center is considered “gothic revival,” designed to match the “very strong and well-known ‘gothic character’ of Duke’s existing campus,” according to Simon. The shape of the building has recollections of gothic while overall still being a modern building, but is not an absolute reproduction of medieval gothic, said Simon. Consistent with this theme, the events center has a modern glassy core, with a shallow curved gable roof straight out of gothic revival, according to Simon. The base of some of the new event buildings will be constructed out of what is known as Duke Stone, a particular stone that is quarried near the campus and is used for most of the campus buildings with the intention of keeping the new construction consistent with the surrounding buildings.

To read the entire article, check out the July/August issue of School Construction News.

The post Duke University Begins Construction on Karsh Alumni & Visitors Center appeared first on School Construction News.

Darrell Smith, executive director of IWFA explained the benefits of using window film in renovations at schools, which include reduced energy costs, safety and security, overall cost savings and reduced time for installation.

The energy efficiency of window film has been proven to reduce energy costs, according to Smith. Smith also explained that 98 to 99 percent of UV rays are blocked from entering through glass windows if they are protected by window film.

“Another advantage of using window film is to combat heat loads, and balance out hot and cold spots in the building,” said Smith.

By using window film, it can regulate temperatures on opposite sides of the building, where temperatures may vary depending on the time of day. There is also the added benefit of receiving natural light in the building, while keeping indoor temperatures down. Some districts choose to use curtains to block out the sun’s glare and heat during the day, but this leads to classrooms using artificial lighting. With window film, classrooms are able to utilize natural lighting, while the tint of the window film helps to reflect solar heat gain from entering.

Smith recommended window film for almost every school district, but believes it is more beneficial during a renovation (compared to new construction, although it can be used for new construction to combat glare) in order to save time, money and the environment.

“Schools can extend the life of existing buildings by using window film,” he said. “Window film also helps to improve the energy efficiency of the building. I think it is important to consider window film before ripping out and putting in new windows. It’s a no brainer that window film is cost-effective and you can get the same energy control as new windows, as well as some other added benefits.”

Other benefits include safety and security, such as bomb blast window film products, “which have been tested and are listed in the General Services Administration bomb blast criteria,” said Smith. “If there is a bomb inside the building it protects the people inside and in close proximity outside from falling glass fragments caused by the windows.”

The chosen tint of the window film also helps with added security, as outsiders cannot always see indoors if specific window film is used.

Along with safety, window film is also efficient when it comes to installation as well as return on investment.

“Installation only takes one day [after school] and does not disrupt classes, so it is perfect for schools looking to renovate their windows but on a tight schedule or tight budget,” said Smith.

The cost of window film varies depending on which film is selected and the area in which the film will be used. However, Smith explained that the lower cost of film would range from approximately $4 to $6 per square-foot, while the higher cost of film would range from approximately $5 to $9 per square-foot.

Smith explained that window film has been popular since the late 1970s and increases in popularity every time there is an energy and/or financial crisis, where people look for cost-effective and energy-efficient ways to renovate properties.

Although IWFA does not supply or manufacturer window film, they do provide information on where to locate professional window film personnel, including suppliers, manufacturers, dealers and/or distributors. In order to find out more information about window film and whether or not it is right for your school or school district, please visit, www.iwfa.com.

The post How Window Film Can Improve Energy Efficiency in Schools appeared first on School Construction News.