The COVID-19 crisis significantly impacted the world of higher education, affecting cultural, societal, and institutional norms in unprecedented ways. As campuses begin to recover from this disruptive period, colleges and universities are faced with a choice: try as best they can to get back to the old “normal,” or seize the transformational opportunities that the pandemic has revealed by fundamentally changing the way they design, adapt, and engage campuses for an increasingly demanding and discerning student body while working towards aggressive climate-centered goals.

Presently, forward-thinking schools are seeking to make a significant, positive impact to a critical sector of the global real estate market. With the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently warning that, “while we can’t predict exactly when or where the next epidemic or pandemic will begin, we know one is coming,” (CDC, 2022) facilities managers are adopting new and innovative techniques to ensure the wellbeing of their students and faculty – with special attention being paid to creating safer, more flexible, and more sustainable gathering environments.

Due to COVID-19, the last few years in higher education have also been characterized by a phenomenal sector-wide pivot from hundreds of years of in-person instruction to the now common practice of online and hybrid learning. With disruption to both learning and auxiliary spending by students on campus, institutional revenue has been negatively affected – putting pressures on both time and budgets. In this environment, it may be hard to see how asset decarbonization factors into the immediate future, especially considering ongoing public health crises. Additionally, in response to the deafening crescendo of demand from inspired student bodies, campus planners are looking to revamp outdated design standards by embracing sustainability, resiliency, and innovative energy solutions.

However, faced with hard budgetary realities, administrators are often forced to do more with less, specifically looking to maximize the functionality of existing building stock, even as regulatory standards for improved energy performance and carbon neutrality demands increase. But the repeated “hacking” of many aging assets has made it increasingly more difficult for facilities staff to maintain operations necessary to support the core missions of research and teaching. Quite often in academia, donors support new construction but do not endow the ongoing upgrades necessary to keep a building modernized and running at peak performance. With constrained annual funding, the key question on the ground is now: “How does one fit decarbonization of assets into an annual budgetary cycle so that funding can be planned for the future at the speed to meet public commitments?”

Taking a step back to gain perspective, it is evident that decades of student advocacy and faculty research have established many universities as centers of excellence for sustainability. To support this sector-wide effort, the Society for College and University Planning (SCUP) published a roadmap to carbon-neutral institutions in 2017. From the report, it is clear that many campuses have already initiated climate action planning, utility masterplanning, and energy procurement strategies with reduction trajectories for carbon emissions and all other forms of waste management that may burden future generations. Colleges and universities can demonstrate their leadership among both internal and external communities by acting in concert with a commitment to these science-based goals, especially as utility energy masterplanning has become a key sector focus.

In a recent case study, Arup partnered with UCLA on their decarbonization masterplan, working together to understand how they could meet aggressive University of California goals to decarbonize their campus energy network. Our multidisciplinary approach considered a range of options including cogeneration, renewable energy, and high efficiency distributed energy resources. By implementing Arup’s recommended conservation measures and renewable energy scenarios, UCLA could save up to 40% on carbon emissions and 34% on a 25-year life cycle.

Likewise, renewable energy procurement is a major focus across universities when it comes to decarbonization. This focus is clearly demonstrated by Arup’s multidisciplinary design of Cornell Tech’s Emma and Georgina Bloomberg Center on Roosevelt Island in New York City. Working alongside our design collaborators at Morphosis, this project showcased how an innovative design team and forward-thinking owner can push the boundaries of active design to create a large-scale net-zero energy building. The Center anchors a new concept for an academic campus and innovation hub. The team’s integrated design approach produced an exemplary green building that incorporates sustainability and smart building goals – using half of the operational energy of comparable buildings with the added benefits of solar power.

When examined as two possible models, the solutions developed at UCLA and Cornell University offer actionable insights for other colleges looking to set more aggressive energy goals in their long-term, strategic development plans.

As academic institutions become increasingly influential in the real estate sector, a critical next step is

to develop clear climate action plans and sustainability guidelines that speak to their unique needs, challenges, and financial constraints. To fully capitalize on this transformational moment, maintenance and system upgrades must be integrated into annual budgets in balance with executive climate commitments. In addition to addressing the needs of students, faculty, and other stakeholders; a typical sustainability assessment should also evaluate each asset including the age of the equipment, current energy sources, the energy demands of each building, and the availability of proposed efficiency measures. While complex, deep efficiency is available at the building level, universities both big and small are already working towards ­­­­­and achieving near net zero energy using only renewable energy sources. Some institutions have even achieved the highest levels of recognition for their efforts. Arup has been extremely proud to have contributed to the recent success of Colby College’s Harold Alfond Athletics and Recreation Center and Bowdoin College’s Roux Center for the Environment – both which garnered LEED Platinum certification. At Northeastern University’s LEED Gold-certified Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Complex, the Arup-designed systems outperform Massachusetts’ rigorous Stretch Energy Code requirements for new buildings by 30%.

The global pandemic caused a tidal wave of disruption – impacting cultural, societal, and institutional norms in unprecedented ways­­­ among the nation’s institutions of higher education. These challenges notwithstanding, the pandemic has revealed transformational opportunities with the potential to fundamentally change the way we design – leading our industry down the path towards greater climate-resilient buildings.

Authors: Julian Astbury, Principal, Arup; Patrick McCafferty, Americas East Education Leader, Arup; and Erin McConahey, Arup Fellow.

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College can be one of the most stressful periods of a person’s life. Students are expected to meet the classroom demands, grapple with new responsibilities, and confront social pressures with their peers. Since the start of the century, as education requirements have become a standard part of any job description, the stress has only increased on students. According to a 2019 study in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology, major depression among young adults (ages 18-25) rose 63 percent between 2009 and 2017. The report also shows increased suicidal thoughts or other suicided-related outcomes by 47 percent. As if these numbers aren’t high enough, the COVID-19 pandemic has inflated them further.

Depending on the university, the college experience differs tremendously for learners. Some universities are completely remote, making it difficult for students at home to form new social groups and take on more responsibility, preparing them for adulthood. Perhaps the students suffering the most are those on campus but confined to remote learning. Many students moved into their dorm rooms this past fall semester with the expectation of having a socially distanced college experience, which would’ve entailed going to class and returning to their dorms. In-person classes were canceled as COVID cases rose across campuses and the socially distanced college experience morphed into one that was much more self-isolating. This is especially true at some universities that mandate first-year students to live in dorms. With these universities requiring freshmen to live on campus, there’s potential for a negative impact on their mental health.

As institutions look ahead to 2021, student wellbeing will become an even more important college experience component. Architects and designers are uniquely positioned to combat the rising numbers of students suffering from mental health illnesses. Working alongside universities, designers will now have the opportunity to balance mental and physical health and create spaces to support and promote a healthier lifestyle. Prior to the pandemic, colleges were already emphasizing student wellbeing by creating more exercise facilities and promoting healthy eating habits. Those who design colleges will have to meet new expectations for students. At NELSON Worldwide we foresee four key ways universities can use architecture and design to improve student wellbeing on campus.

The Hybrid Classroom

It has become evident that students reap a variety of benefits from in-person learning. To achieve this, universities must reimagine the classroom. These new classrooms will go beyond the typical six-feet of space and dividers we have become accustomed to. These new classrooms will be a combination of in-person learning and virtual learning. The first major difference will take place in the front of the room; with instructors’ safety in mind. To keep both students and instructors safe the installation of transparent panels between both parties provides a sense of security and flexibility to safely teach in person, while also giving students that in-person interaction.

In a traditional higher education setting, classrooms appear much differently than their K-12 counterparts. Oftentimes in lecture halls that resemble a small theater, these spaces can sometimes hold hundreds of students. While these spaces may be great for social distancing, they lack the flexibility required to carry out a hybrid-learning style. To support this new teaching and learning method, flexible furniture such as pirouette tables and triangular stacking chairs in classrooms that aren’t anchored to the floor and can be reconfigured to accommodate different learning styles such as breakout groups, individualized working, or theater-style seating. These additions will be key for providing students more comfort, creating opportunities for collaboration at a safe distance, and getting students more involved in learning.

Healthy Classrooms

One of the first things that we can expect to see from education facilities during their reopening is modifying or replacing air ventilation systems. Changing HVAC systems that limit the spread of COVID-19 will be the first step to creating a safe learning environment for students and faculty. Additionally, lighting is another tool that universities can use to improve conditions. Certain UV lighting can be used to kill germs like bacteria and viruses.

Another way to improve the classroom environment to impact students is to ensure adequate exposure to natural light. One of the most difficult parts of students’ college experience is finding time to sleep. Spaces that facilitate proper daylight for productivity can allow people to sleep better at night. More rest is one of the biggest preventative measures for getting sick.

Outdoor Spaces

During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, people of all ages were required to stay indoors, which eventually pushed them outdoors—for fresh air, exercise, and relief. With many students reconnecting with nature, this is an opportunity for universities to transform their outdoor spaces into learning areas. College students spend hours on end inside lecture halls and labs, and after this past year, you can expect students to spend more time using green spaces. To assist students with this transition, universities can use their existing outdoor spaces to incorporate amenities such as workspaces, picnic tables, charging stations, and Wi-Fi hotspots. If institutions can provide seating and make outdoor spaces technologically friendly, there is a realistic possibility outdoor spaces can become classrooms.

Safe Places to Eat

Dining halls have always been an important amenity for universities. Most students are without a kitchen on campus and rely on the cafeteria to supply them with food throughout the day. The most popular dining hall layout was filled with self-serving stations and communal tables for socializing. As students return to campuses, they can expect dining halls to look much different. Some schools have completely closed off the cafeteria to students during the pandemic and began delivering food to dorms. Much like in urban life, indoor dining has been stopped or limited, and takeout has become king. But dining alone or with a roommate in the same room night after night can become uninteresting. To support healthy eating spaces, colleges may encourage the use of outdoor dining. Cities across the world have transformed their infrastructure to facilitate outdoor dining, and colleges should look to do the same.

Another place that can be used as a smaller version of a dining hall is dorm common areas. Usually, each floor of a dorm building has an area for students to socialize or escape their roommate. To give students a peaceful and spacious place to eat, universities should look into transforming a few of these spaces into dining areas.

Like so many things in our society, major changes are expected to occur because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, perhaps none is more important than the future of architecture and design at college institutions. As students return and adjust to the new normal of college life, it will be everyone’s job to make that transition easy and less stressful.

Ina Bachmann, AIA, NCARB, is studio director of higher education for NELSON Worldwide.

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