Education and Science

The traditional university – and the physical campus in particular – is under threat as higher education faces tighter funding, increasing competition and technological change.

Paradoxically, the answer to these challenges often lies in the campus itself – in re-designing it to attract students and academic staff.

This need to compete for the best and brightest is brought into sharp focus in today's demand-driven funding environment and as the 'war for academic talent' escalates.

Regardless of current funding and staffing challenges though, creating a vibrant and diverse campus environment is vital to generating the real currency that sustains universities over time – ideas.

With the emergence of MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) and the rapid proliferation of mobile technology, students can choose to work anywhere, anytime, creating new competition for the campus.

Campus life must therefore offer more than simply a venue to receive information via a menu of traditional spaces.

To be a competitive advantage for universities the campus must provide modern, comfortable spaces for quiet, individual, learning, small group collaboration, socialising and accessing services and retail.

Increasingly, students expect 24/7 access to flexible, multipurpose 'hub' spaces with furniture that can be quickly moved around and technology that supports the way they want to study.

Similarly, academic workplaces which have lagged behind industry best practice in terms of flexibility and amenity are now being modernised by universities to meet the expectations of academic staff who want to work in inspiring, collaborative environments.

Changing student demographics are also giving rise to new practical design considerations. As the proportions of international students and post graduate students increase, for example, designers of education facilities must work with their clients to plan the most appropriate student facilities and accommodation.

The design of buildings and campuses is also critical to supporting a university's brand. This is especially important as universities expand their interests into new global markets and embark on new partnerships with industry.

HASSELL is deeply involved in the higher education and science sector, working with universities to understand the changing environment they operate in and to maximise their competitive advantages.

Designing for universities requires an understanding of how people move around the modern campus, how they get there in the first place, where specific buildings should be sited and how they should be oriented.

It also depends on an ability to work with administrators, teachers and students to understand how they want to work.

Stakeholder engagement and consultation are the starting point for every project, informing the design of buildings and spaces that must meet today's needs and be flexible enough to cater for tomorrow's.