��By Maggie Marlin, IIDA��

The COVID-19 pandemic forced higher education to answer an uncomfortable question: if the classroom is the only place that matters, why bother with a campus at all?��

Universities responded by completely rethinking what makes physical space valuable. The answer��isn’t��more��classrooms:��it’s��everything around them. Walk into a new college building today and the spaces between classes command as much design attention as the lecture halls. Faculty from different departments share collaborative spaces. Students work alongside industry partners in innovation labs. Libraries have evolved into social infrastructure,��where��connection matters as much as collection.����

This shift��isn’t��just about amenities. As technology reshapes how knowledge gets transmitted and artificial intelligence handles more of the rote work of education, education design is doubling down on what can’t be automated: human connection, hands-on collaboration and the kind of creative thinking that only happens when people come together in physical space.��

According to��Gensler’s��,��released earlier this year,��education is undergoing a fundamental transformation��that’s��reshaping not just how students learn, but how entire learning environments are conceived and built. Three major trends are driving this evolution, and��they’re��already visible in projects across the country.��

Learning Without Lanes��

The first big shift? Learning is no longer linear, and neither is the campus.��

Students today��aren’t��just earning degrees;��they’re��collecting skills. They might spend mornings in traditional lectures and afternoons in apprenticeship programs with campus industry partners, pause their degree to launch a venture, then return for an executive MBA a decade later. Education has become modular, customizable,��and continuous, which means campus spaces need to evolve into flexible ecosystems that can support everything from micro-credentials to business incubators to lifelong learning hubs.��

Western Kentucky University’s��Gordon Ford College of Business at Amy and David Chandler Hall��illustrates��this approach.��The building��consolidates��resources including academic advising, peer tutoring, financial aid guidance��and��even a ‘Suited for Success Closet’ where students can borrow business attire for interviews.��It’s��designed to support students wherever they are in their journey, whether��they’re��navigating their first semester��as a��first-generation��student��or preparing to pivot careers mid-degree.��

On the first floor,��the trading lab��displays real-time stock market changes through Bloomberg Technology terminals, giving students access to professional-grade financial analytics typically reserved for working professionals. Sales classrooms��include set-ups of��real-world environments��that��students��might��encounter��when making a sales pitch,��blurring��the line between academic exercise and professional practice. The most forward-thinking element might be the simulation lab, which uses augmented and virtual reality for marketing strategy exploration. The floor is deliberately furniture-free, allowing for��fully immersive AR and VR experiences.��It’s��a space designed not for how students learn today, but for how��they’ll��need to learn tomorrow, and return to��learn��again years from now.��

Western Kentucky also��demonstrates��this principle through strategic design choices: core��objectives��included creating��spaces so��students��would��linger before��and after scheduled classes, accommodating everything from traditional��undergrads��to professionals pursuing executive education, with spaces that stay flexible enough to evolve alongside industry needs.��

What AI Can’t Replicate��

If campuses��can’t��compete with AI on information delivery, they need to own what technology��can’t��touch: collaboration, community,��and creativity.��Libraries, incubators, makerspaces,��and other campus “third spaces” are being reimagined to prioritize hands-on, project-based��and team-driven work. The social experience of learning becomes��a��competitive advantage.��

This is where projects like Western Kentucky’s Commons at Helm Library come into play. The facility transformed a 1930s building that once housed the university gymnasium into a new intellectual hub at the historic academic heart of campus. The Commons combines social spaces, including food service venues that accommodate 900 guests, with library and student support services.��It’s��designed to serve both campus-based and commuter students, creating a destination that pulls people in rather than just providing study carrels.��

The project has earned��numerous��awards, including the IIDA/American Library Association Library Interior Design Award and Best in Show, precisely because it understands that the future library is less about book storage and more about human connection.��

Purdue University’s Mitch Daniels School of Business, scheduled for completion in 2027, also usestilizes��this philosophy. The building integrates business, technology,��and engineering classrooms and labs with advising offices, flexible collaboration areas,��and an auditorium for campus-wide conferences and events. Recognizing that the high-traffic site lacked green space, the design team added a courtyard for outdoor breaks and events. At night, the glazed facade will glow with activity,��telegraphing��the innovative combination of spaces within and framing��the School of Business as a forward–��looking and vibrant community.��

With a future-forward outlook, the building includes a full prototyping and engineering lab where students can merge technical and business skills in real-world developmePnt scenarios. It offers spaces students might encounter in corporate workplace environments, preparing them not just with knowledge but with the collaborative muscle memory they’ll need in their careers.��

Read more in the Higher Education Issue of �Ӱ�ԭ��ҕ�l.

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“As we educate future leaders and advance the research of a technology-driven, free-market economy, new world-class facilities for the Daniels School of Business will help us achieve excellence at scale,” Purdue President Mung Chiang said at the groundbreaking ceremony.��

When complete, the Mitch Daniels School of Business will be the second-largest classroom building on the university’s��West Lafayette campus. In addition to flexible spaces for academic instruction and conferences, it will also feature modern teaching and research labs for financial trading, data visualization, behavioral research and experiential learning.��

Purdue officials began working with the Chicago office of global architecture firm Gensler in December 2022��to envision the facility, developing a design that would honor the business school’s past while offering the flexibility to evolve with future educational needs and trends. The building’s interconnected nature brings together a variety of learning environments and experiences that “instigate change and define the future of research and business through the convergence of critical thinking, experiential learning and a culture driven by collaboration” according to a statement by the Gensler team. ��

The Gensler design team was further challenged to seamlessly integrate business, technology and engineering learning spaces with advising offices and flexible areas for collaboration, conferences and events. Working closely with partner firm BSA Life Structures, the various programmatic elements will be joined cohesively in a single structure that anchors the south end of campus and serves as��“a bold symbol of the Daniels School of Business’ forward-looking vision.”��

The reimagined Mitch Daniels School of Business, which will also include sophisticated interiors inspired by modern corporate workplaces, was��driven by Purdue’s aspirations to rank among the top tier of business schools in the nation. It also speaks to the school’s foundational pillars, which prioritize the integration of technology, transformative learning opportunities and an increase in enrollment. ��

“Practiced with integrity, business careers are the noblest of life choices,” said Mitch Daniels, the 12th president of Purdue University and the building’s namesake, in a statement. “They create new jobs and wealth for others and bring into being the resources which the public and nonprofit sectors take to pursue their goals. This modernized school of business will send out its graduates armed with a sense of mission and the tools to fulfill that mission in the most complex of enterprises.” ��

“Not only will this building illustrate the university’s commitment to the future of business education, it will also serve as a focal point for the seamless integration of business and technology, reflecting our mission to prepare students for the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow,” added Jim Bullard, the Dr. Samuel R. Allen Dean of the Mitch Daniels School of Business, in a statement. “It will foster an environment where students, faculty, staff, alumni and corporate partners can thrive, innovate and lead while showcasing what building the future of business is all about.”��

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INDIANAPOLIS — Purdue University has officially released renderings of the soon-to-be-built Academic Success Building, a $187 million facility that will bring classrooms, laboratories, dining, student housing and community-centered spaces to the heart of downtown Indianapolis. Construction is scheduled to begin in April 2025 and is slated for completion in May 2027. Indianapolis firm Browning Day will serve as the project architect, with support from national firm Perkins & Will. The project’s construction manager is Shiel Sexton, also of Indianapolis.��

The project marks the first construction endeavor for Purdue University since the institution split from Indiana University in summer 2024 as Purdue University seeks to develop a distinct downtown presence. Plans for the 248,000-square-foot building, which were approved by the University’s Board of Trustees in June 2024, include 15 stories of new construction, which will be neighbored by five other academic buildings. By bringing an additional facility to the intersection of West and Michigan streets, the University will further establish its presence in the urban core. ��

The new facility will include academic classrooms and laboratories together with housing for 500 students and the dining commons sized to serve 400 people. The futureproofed design anticipates the university’s evolving educational needs and will offer innovative career-ready programs. The design also incorporates a community element, as project-based learning centers will be included to offer Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEAM) programs for K-12 students.��

“Purdue University in Indianapolis is heavily focused on experiential learning and immersing ourselves into the community,” said David Umulis, senior vice provost Purdue University for Indianapolis, in a statement. “The Academic Success Building will create a welcoming arrival to the Indianapolis campus and serve as a thrilling way to provide our students, the Indianapolis area and our partners from around the globe with cutting-edge learning environments, study spaces, residential space and eat-in accommodations all under one roof.”��

The $187 million will be provided through a non-fee replaced debt, with an auxiliary housing dining fund of $105 million, $60 million in capital cash appropriation and $22 million in philanthropic funds. The project is one of multiple major construction initiatives currently underway across Purdue University, including the $73 million Zucrow High-Speed Propulsion Lab, set to debut this month, a new $149 million residence hall that will be completed in August 2026, a $160 million Nursing and Pharmacy Education Building that will open in December 2026, and the $168 million Mitch Daniels School of Business Building, which broke ground in September 2024 and also anticipates an August 2027 completion.��

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FORT WAYNE, Ind.—Designer Progressive AE and Gilbane Development Company have commenced work on a 600-bed student housing complex for Purdue University Fort Wayne’s (PFW) North Campus. The four-story, 213,000-square-foot, 176-unit complex will assist with the university’s long-term housing needs as the school continues to expand its population.����

The housing complex’s interior will offer a convenience store, gaming room, study spaces, fitness center and various lounge spaces. Outdoor amenities will entail volleyball and basketball courts, fire pits, grilling areas and even a hammock farm. Sustainability elements will include energy-efficient appliances, stormwater treatment and water conservation.����

The $100 million, public-private construction project, to be built near St. Joe Road, will feature living arrangements ranging from studio to four-bedroom. Half of the beds will be reserved for students contracting for housing with the university, while the rest will be open for other students via direct leasing options.����

PFW has been at or near housing capacity for six years, with the 2023-24 academic year alone seeing a spike of more than 20 percent versus the year prior.����

“The dynamics of the Purdue Fort Wayne campus have changed dramatically during the past few years,” Chancellor Ron Elsenbaumer said of the project. “The university is focused on bringing more people to the area to help fill the employee pipeline. Student housing is an essential component of that strategy.”��

“We are excited to join Purdue University Fort Wayne for this transformative partnership that will��help provide this much-needed new housing inventory,” Geoff Eisenacher, vice president of��

Gilbane Development Company, said of his firm’s work on the campus. “Our team is dedicated to delivering a new residential community that not only meets the university’s goals but also creates a vibrant and modern residential experience for PFW and its students.”��

Added Lynn Rogien, vice president and business leader with Gilbane: “Gilbane Building Company looks forward to a continued strong partnership with Purdue that will deliver new housing for Purdue University Fort Wayne’s thriving residential campus. Our ‘One Company’��approach creates high-quality student housing, complete with the desired amenities expected by today’s students. This project will incorporate high performance and sustainability as core focus,maximizing design and construction quality, waste reduction, realizing energy savings, and water conservation methods.”��

Gilbane and Progressive AE’s project partners include design-builder AVB. Gilbane Development Company is the development and financing arm of Gilbane, Inc., while Gilbane Building Company is its construction services firm.����

Construction is due to start this fall and is projected to be ready in time for the fall 2026 term.��

“The correlation between the sustainability of increased enrollment and longer-term solutions to address the needs of current and prospective students wishing to live on campus continues to be an integral part of PFW’s strategic planning,” Elsenbaumer added.��

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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Purdue Research Foundation (PRF) in West Lafayette has one mission — to serve Purdue University. Starting in January, PRF’s efforts to serve the university became visible for all to see when construction began on a new private apartment complex for the campus.

PRF made its announcement about construction beginning on Jan. 9 with newly formed joint venture Balfour Beatty Campus solutions and Walsh Investors. Hanbury based out of Norfolk, Va., is the architect on the project, and construction is a joint venture between Chicago-based Walsh Construction and Smoot Construction, based out of Indianapolis. The complex is projected for completion by August 2019.

“The Walsh Construction and Smoot Construction Joint Venture is excited to be part of this innovative project, and Walsh is extremely pleased to continue to expand our growing relationship with Purdue University,” said Sean Walsh, president of Walsh Construction, in a recent statement.

The 835-bed apartment complex will be the first facility in a $1 billion development called Discovery Park District, located on the west side of the Purdue University campus, and will be called Aspire at Discovery Park. The apartment complex will be located on five-acres on the south side of State Street. While the apartment complex is private, the cost to rent will be comparable to a residence hall, and the residents of this facility will be 90 to 100 percent student-occupied.

The four-story, three-building, 387,000-square-foot complex will include studio, two-bedroom and four-bedroom apartment styles. In addition to the apartments, the complex will have 18,000 square feet reserved for community and retail space in the building.

“It is certainly a milestone to break ground on the first of many developments in the Discovery Park District,” said Jeff Kanable, director of the Discovery Park District (formerly called the Purdue Innovation District), in a recent statement. “In just a few years, this area will feature modern living, learning, shopping and dining for Purdue students and the surrounding community.”

The Discovery Park District is a partnership development between the Purdue Research Foundation and Browning Investments and is designed to “provide a pre-eminent environment for educational, economic, cultural, community and real estate development,” according to Kanable.

The 450-acre district will eventually feature 7 million square feet of interior building space, including a hotel with conference center, restaurants, retail and office and business spaces. In addition, the district will include parks, research facilities and industrial space. The entirety of the project is planned to take place over a 15- to 20-year period, with the Purdue Apartments being the first step in this long-term goal.

In addition to serving the Purdue students, all of the developments in and around Purdue University and West Lafayette are carefully planned to support and complement each other and “advance Tippecanoe County as a destination to live in and visit,” according to John Dennis, mayor of West Lafayette.

“The Balfour Beatty team is excited to be the first major construction in the transformation of the west side of the Purdue University campus,” said Bob Shepko, president of Balfour Beatty Campus Solutions, in a statement. “Aspire at Discovery Park will be situated in an ideal location for residents to take advantage of all that this new development will offer.”

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Featuring more than 550,000 square feet, the massive seven-story building, designed by HOK, will be comprised of two L-shaped structures that will provide connectivity to the interdisciplinary campus.

“There are multiple institutions that are coming together to create a new sense of critical mass all within location,” said Kenneth Drucker, FAIA, design principal for the project and design director at HOK’s New York office. “The school is sort of a vessel where this common link can occur.”

The university’s new children’s hospital, medical offices, medical school, clinical and translational research center, Gates Vascular Institute, Roswell Park Cancer Institute and the existing Buffalo-Niagara campus will operate with the central building.

Approximately 2,000 students, staff and faculty will utilize the space daily along with its connection to other buildings, via linking bridges and stairways, Drucker said. Providing even further connectivity is the incorporation of the Allen Street transit hub, to be housed on the ground floor of the building.

The construction of the new school building, which is seeking LEED Gold certification, is part of a greater vision to create a state-of-the-art downtown medical campus by 2020.

The surrounding downtown area, with a noteworthy architectural history, can be sensitive to new buildings, Drucker said, so the architects were challenged to produce a design both complementary to surrounding style and environmentally friendly.

“Doing a building in Buffalo has significance because in the 20s and 30s it’s where all the great architecture was happening at the time, with Sullivan and Wright and Yamasaki,” Drucker said. “It still has a very significant architectural heritage, so it’s important that the building has the same level of craft and architectural distinction as some of the other historic projects of Buffalo.”

The design features a glass curtainwall system and the façade of the building highlights a large terra cotta rain screen.

“We found that Buffalo, because of the climate and because historically its been a city about masonry, that we wanted to use a material that was closer to masonry something not of brick,” Drucker said.

Terra cotta, an organic material made of clay, provided the look and function most desirable to the project, Drucker said.

“The reason why this is important to us is because it’s a large building and we consider it to be an indigenous material to the area,” Drucker said. “And it creates and exudes a feeling of warmth and precision and cleanliness.”

A six-floor glass atrium, which connects the two L-shaped buildings, will help to illuminate the building with natural daylight along with the buildings skylight system and two glass walls. The use of L-shaped layouts was motivated by a want to bring an abundant amount of natural daylight as deep into the space as possible.

“We believe very strongly in the use of natural daylight,” Drucker said. “The width of the two Ls that contain the majority of the program are very narrow, so we can get daylight into the lab space and the atrium.”

The second floor of the building will hold several classrooms and educational spaces as well as a library and café. A bridge on this floor will link the new children’s hospital and medical offices to the building.

The building’s classrooms will now be able to hold 180 students as opposed to the current 140. But the designs versatility also allows for larger classrooms to be broken down into smaller learning units

“Instead of just lectures and large classrooms for lectures, there are a variety of different classrooms sizes that break down the scale from 180 to classrooms for 100 to semi-rooms for less than 20,” Drucker said. “So, there can be specific learning and smaller units.

The third, fourth and fifth floors will hold 150,000 square feet of research laboratories. The sixth floor will house the building’s simulation lab and robotics lab, and the seventh floor will be equipped with a gross anatomy facility.

Groundbreaking on the project is scheduled for September 2013 with completion in 2016.
 

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