Space and place: rethinking the university campus

Insights and advice on how to see university campuses in a new light

Campus redesign spotlight collection

The Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent increase in hybrid and distance learning has deeply impacted how institutions occupy their physical spaces. Lecture halls and classrooms sit unused, while heightened awareness around accessibility and the value of social spaces is resulting in new design approaches and understanding of the utility of campuses. From creating informal but revolutionary “third spaces” to advice on considering layouts that influence social ties and research exchange, this collection of resources reflects the fresh new ways that higher education is thinking about its spaces and places.

What should universities think about when redesigning their campuses?

A university is a multifunctional space where collaboration is increasingly important, so new designs must consider who will use it and how

Denise Medcraff

Arcadis IBI Group

Campus design and building

How creating third spaces can help your university campus

Creating ‘third spaces’ will revolutionise your campus

Informal communal spaces bring multiple benefits, from encouraging interdisciplinarity to helping with net zero targets, says Jerry Tate

Jerry Tate

Tate and Co

The campus of the future will need to take into account the likely use of hyflex pedagogy

The campus is dead, long live the campus

Potential post-Covid changes to campus design will slide along a spectrum from optimising space to rethinking academic structures, says Jay Deshmukh

Jay Deshmukh

IBI Group

Architecture and new university buildings at Oxford University

Lessons learned from building a new university premises

Rick Trainor reflects on the trials and tribulations of constructing a new, multipurpose building from scratch at the University of Oxford

Rick Trainor

University of Oxford

Green university buildings and hitting net zero

Building futures: how estates directors can deliver net zero

Terry Spraggett discusses the critical role of estate leads, the impact the construction industry can have and the approach that will drive success

Terry Spraggett

Mace

Accelerating towards net zero emissions: how to mobilise your university on climate action

John Madden provides insight on how universities can mobilise their intellectual and institutional capacities to accelerate towards net zero emissions

John Madden

University of British Columbia

Outreach and inclusion

Students sitting outside on campus chatting

Campus design for access and inclusion

Advice for institutions to develop more accessible and inclusive campuses for students and staff with disabilities, by Jon Roylance

Jon Roylance

ADP Architecture

Using university physical and digital spaces to better engage local communities

Open to all? Using our physical and digital spaces to better engage local communities

Richard Calvert explores what role universities’ physical spaces should play in civic engagement and how digital technologies can support this

Richard Calvert

Sheffield Hallam University

A man standing browsing papers in a university library

Tips on providing free public access to your university library

A university library should provide a gateway into the institution for surrounding communities, explains Andrew Barker, as he shares advice on creating a ‘library community card’ that provides free and open access to the public

Andrew Barker

Lancaster University

University building design and blueprint

How campus layout influences social ties and research exchange

Shorter distances between departments and offices can boost communication and exchange. But proximity is not the only way that campus design influences interactions among the university community

Andres Sevtsuk

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Covid should have taught us that campus needs to be a treasured space

If we’re to tempt stay-away students back to the physical campus, we must recognise that place and places matter following disasters, say Gemma Ahearne and Treasa Kearney

Gemma Ahearne, Treasa Kearney

University of Liverpool

Digital estates

Cybersecurity is getting better at universities but they all need to do more

Cybersecurity remains a critical issue that universities must face

Statistics show that universities are getting better at defending against and preparing for cyberattacks, but much more needs to be done, says Heidi Fraser-Krauss

Heidi Fraser-Krauss

Jisc

The university library needs a dramatic pivot to online to help academics and students alike in the new normal

The academic library requires digital evolution

As we face our post-Covid reality, library services need a new vision, becoming ubiquitous and available no matter the challenges of time and space

José Vladimir Burgos Aguilar

Monterrey Institute of Technology

University libraries and academic publishers need to find a long-term solution to the issue of e-textbooks

We must end the ‘us and them’ standoff between libraries and publishers

University libraries and publishers remain at a damaging impasse over digital textbooks – the solution requires communication, collaboration and openness to big ideas

Libby Homer

Anglia Ruskin University