University Trends: Contemporary Campus Design

The campus has a deep-rooted prestige as a place of teaching, learning and nurturing. Conjuring images of cloistered quadrangles, of sunny lawns, of wood-panelled libraries, it is a word viscerally charged with centuries of scholarly tradition. And yet it is also a place of cutting-edge science, vibrancy and energy. It is this dual nature, this concurrent adherence to tradition and innovation, which renders the physical environment of the university such a redolent, enduring and dynamic realm. However, it also means that the twenty-first-century campus is a highly challenging and exacting landscape to design and manage successfully. Today, the scale of the pressures and the rate of change facing higher education institutions are greater than ever. Squeezed public spending, growing societal expectations and the broadening education ambitions of developing nations are set against a backdrop of rapid technological progress and changing pedagogies. What are the repercussions for the physical realities of university planning and architecture? And how are university campuses adapting to contend with these pressures? University Trends: Contemporary Campus Design introduces the most significant, widespread, and thought-provoking trends that are currently shaping the planning and architecture of higher education institutions across the world. Within this completely revised third edition, Part One identifies current patterns such as student hubs, large-scale expansions and buildings for innovation and interdisciplinary research. Part Two profiles these through recent, well-illustrated, global case studies. This is the essential guide to current and future trends in campus design.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments; Preface; Part 1; The Twenty-First-Century Campus; Part 2; 1. Adaptive Reuse; 2. Student Hubs; 3. Housing; 4. Interdisciplinarity; 5. Central Learning and Teaching Buildings; 6. Innovation; 7. Urbanity; 8. Large-Scale Campus Expansions; 9. Beyond the West; 10. Revitalising Master Plans; Notes; Picture Credits; Index

About the Author :
Jonathan Coulson and Paul Roberts are Directors of Turnberry Consulting, a development strategy consultancy created to help landowners to develop real estate projects driven by quality and functionality. They have extensive experience working within the university sector, preparing and delivering development proposals and master-planning initiatives. Isabelle Taylor has co-authored several published books and articles on the subject of campus design, examining both the historical development of the field and current trends within it. The three have jointly authored University Planning and Architecture: The Search for Perfection (2015), a historical survey of the architecture of universities from the Middle Ages to the twenty-first century.

Review :
‘Our fabulous university campuses are a testament to the importance civilisation places on learning. Whilst the Covid-19 pandemic has forced huge advances in the virtual working of all organisations, the campus has never been more important for the learning and well-being of our students and staff alike. It must also be a beacon for sustainable living and working. This beautifully illustrated volume by internationally leading experts is a timely reminder of how our campuses, like the people of our universities, continue to evolve to meet the changing needs of society.’ Sir Peter Gregson, Former Vice-Chancellor, Cranfield University ‘A university’s estate is a key platform for delivering its academic mission and has a multi-dimensional impact. It is, among other things, a critical enabler of teaching and research, a major component of student, staff and community experience and the foundation of many transformative strategic initiatives. It is also highly capital intensive. University Trends identifies the latest developments shaping university estate thinking and their implication for estate planning and development. It is an invaluable tool for anyone charged with considering and optimising a university’s physical infrastructure.’ Allan Tait, Vice-President (Administration & Finance) and Chief Operating Officer, University of Melbourne ‘As demands on universities continue to grow and become more complex, with budgets more and more restricted, an insistent reminder of the importance of their physical environment is vital. The authors of this book continue to raise awareness of the significant relationship between university buildings and their landscape and the learning experience. With this volume, they challenge us to think through the relevance and rationale of current building and master planning typologies and challenge us to clarify our thoughts about the future, putting a forecast of priorities before us. Their work is an invaluable stimulus to aim for high quality progressive design.’ Paul Williams OBE, Founding partner, Stanton Williams Architects