Herman Miller White Paper on Learning Environments, The

The buildings that form a campus help create the legacy of that institution. They make impressions. Buildings that are centuries old communicate tradition and an established lineage of alumni. Contemporary facilities communicate a spirit of growth and a sense of optimism for the future.

Businesses have discovered the importance of communicating brand and image in their quest to increase market share. Higher education is no different in this respect.

The leaders of the universities and colleges in the U.S. have learned that image is critical in attracting and retaining students and that the campus environment is a strategic tool they can use to compete and differentiate.1

The changes experienced in higher education institutions today are significant. Changing patterns of behavior, learning, and instruction; increasing competition for students and faculty; and aging facilities have coalesced to present the leaders of this country's universities and colleges with both challenges and opportunities. How they address these issues will change the design of the campus environment.

Change Agent: Competition

Increased competition for students and faculty is influencing the way universities and colleges market themselves-in many cases, institutions are actively marketing themselves for the first time, which requires defining their image. The image a school conveys is critical in drawing the attention of prospective students, faculty, and contributors.2

Academic programs, off-campus learning opportunities, and the attractiveness and innovativeness of campuses are among the characteristics that will place a school on the Best Colleges lists from publications such as US News & World Report. Indeed, "making the list" is becoming essential for attracting top-notch students and faculty, creating visibility, and increasing contributions to the institution. It is becoming an "arms race," says University of California-Berkeley Professor David Kirp.3

Facilities play a large role in building image and shaping impressions. They become a tangible form of intangible things, such as innovation, adaptability, and forward thinking. Facilities, too, reflect culture and society. Today's students are far different, in many respects, from students of 20 years ago. Universities must appeal to them and their styles of learning. Campus facilities and spaces must reflect the behaviors and culture of society in general and a student body in particular.

Change Agent: Students

Multitasking wasn't in the dictionary 20 years ago, but it accurately describes the way many of us, particularly college students, get things done. Mobile technology has certainly influenced this. College students have grown up composing reports on the computer while instant messaging over the Internet while doing research on the Web while flipping through TV channels using the remote. This is not necessarily an ideal scenario, but it is a common one. Today's students have the ability to accomplish many tasks and take in multiple stimuli simultaneously.

Spaces need to match the habits and study arrangements of a multitasking student body by being as adaptable and flexible as the students who occupy them. A mixture of relaxed discussion and study areas, workspaces that expand or contract depending on need, and private or group spaces with computers and other equipment can coexist in the same space.

The Learning-Teaching Center at the University of Dayton blends areas for quiet and reflection, conversation and socializing, along with faculty offices, research space, an experimental classroom called the Studio, and a café and fireplace lounge. It was planned to become the "heart and soul of the campus community." It has also created an environment where study and learning expand beyond traditional classroom walls.4

Technology has had a profound impact on campus environments. A university or college can advance its image as an innovative, forward thinking place through the design and application of technology. Digital communications is part of the campus experience. Wireless access and computers and related equipment are expected in every facility throughout a campus. Students use laptops in class for note taking. Professors critique papers and assignments via email. The Web has become another type of reference library.

The extent of technology within a university, and the degree to which it is integrated, can set an institution apart. Computer labs are becoming such a differentiator. These are not the computer labs of old, where students worked alone at rows of anchored furniture. Labs today accommodate individuals, groups large and small, even entire classes and professors. The mobility of wireless technology has influenced the mobility and adaptability of spaces and their furnishings. Environments are becoming flexible and adaptable to accommodate a variety of uses. Mobile walls can quickly increase or decrease the size of a space. Heightadjustable, mobile furniture is replacing the anchored wooden furniture of an earlier generation.