No More One and Done

How College Campuses are Embracing Mixed-Use Development

There was a time where college campuses were filled with buildings designated for a particular function. All things business were done and studied in the business building. If Fine Arts was your calling—the Fine Arts building was your place of study and so on and so forth.

As financial challenges for new construction continue, it has become increasingly difficult to justify single-use facilities.ⁱ

While some campuses are holding fast to this dynamic, the day of the single-use facility is becoming a thing of the past. Campuses across the country are adopting a mixed-used building model. This approach has caught fire and yields a number of benefits including.

• Higher levels of staff interaction: With a mixed-use approach, staff members who might not have gotten to know one another, now have the opportunity to interact. These newfound interactions breed creativity and help build better students for today and leaders for tomorrow.
• Campus cohesion: When staff members and students frequently interact, the campus becomes a more cohesive environment. Instead of major-based factions being built, a community of higher learning is created.
• Energy conservation: Some of the nation’s most aggressive energy conservation and green movements began on college campuses. It stands to reason they would be all in on an idea that conserves energy which is precisely what a mixed-use building approach does.
• Helps build stronger brands: When on-campus leaders interact on a more regular basis, the campus becomes more cohesive, real issues come to the forefront and a stronger academic brand is built.

Conclusion

Our campuses are where the future leaders are made. At a time when funding is a challenge, it’s important to be innovative in all phases while honoring their purpose and calling. Setting examples and using resources wisely will challenge them to think outside of the box and cultivate the next generation of critical thinkers.

Endnotes

ⁱRetrieved from Spaces 4 Learning Silverberg, Jay 1 October 2016