flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Have colleges + universities gone too far with "Quality of Life" buildings?

Have colleges + universities gone too far with "Quality of Life" buildings?

We'd like your input - recent projects, photo/s, renderings, and expert insight - on an important article we're working on for our Jan 2013 issue


By By Robert Cassidy | November 13, 2012

We'd like your input - recent projects, photo/s, renderings, and expert insight - on an important article we're working on for our Jan 2013 issue:

HIGHER EDUCATION: Residence Halls, Student Unions, and ‘Quality of Life’ Factors in the Halls of Ivy

With total costs exceeding $50,000 at many colleges/universities, and with U.S. student debt nearing $1 trillion, will institutions be forced to cut back on "quality of campus life" buildings: residence halls that rival the Ritz, student unions and refectories that go well beyond the basics of bed and board, recreation centers that may seem over the top in their amenities? What about other "quality of campus life" buildings?

We're not talking about basic classroom, science & technology, or administrative buildings here. We're interested in those structures that are not, strictly speaking, essential to the curriculum or administration of the institution - those facilities that serve to enhance the "quality of campus life."

The essential question: Have colleges and universities gone too far with these structures? Or does competition for top students, institutional pride, or some other factor make it essential that institutions of higher learning keep raising the bar? And who's going to pay for these facilities?

Please send project information, PDFs, photo/s, renderings, and related information to our Contributing Editor, Susan Bady (susanbady@sbcglobal.net). 

Please also let Susan know the name and contact info (email, phone, office location) of your top expert on higher-ed facilities.

Deadline: Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, we'd like to get these materials by Friday, Nov 16, if possible.

Thanks for your help, and BD+C looks forward to working with you on this important article. +

Related Stories

Office Buildings | Feb 26, 2015

Using active design techniques to strengthen the corporate workplace and enhance employee wellness

The new Lentz Public Health Center in Nashville, Tenn., serves as a model of how those progressive and healthy changes can be made.

K-12 Schools | Feb 26, 2015

Should your next school project include a safe room?

Many school districts continue to resist mandating the inclusion of safe rooms or storm shelters in new and existing buildings. But that may be changing.

K-12 Schools | Feb 26, 2015

Construction funding still scarce for many school districts

Many districts are struggling to have new construction and renovation keep pace with student population growth.

K-12 Schools | Feb 26, 2015

D.C.'s Dunbar High School is world's highest-scoring LEED school, earns 91% of base credits

The 280,000-sf school achieved 91 points, out of 100 base points possible for LEED, making it the highest-scoring school in the world certified under USGBC’s LEED for Schools-New Construction system.

K-12 Schools | Feb 25, 2015

Polish architect designs modular ‘kids city’ kindergarten using shipping container frames

Forget the retrofit of a shipping container into a building for one moment. Designboom showcases the plans of Polish architect Adam Wiercinski to use just the recycled frames of containers to construct a “kids city.”

Cultural Facilities | Feb 25, 2015

Bjarke Ingels designs geodesic dome for energy production, community use

A new building in Uppsala, Sweden, will serve as a power plant during the winter and a venue for shows, festivals, and music events during the warm months.

Cultural Facilities | Feb 25, 2015

Edmonton considering 'freezeway' to embrace winter

If the new Edmonton Freezeway is constructed, residents will have an 11-km course that winds through the city and allows them to skate to work, school, and other city activities.

Building Team | Feb 24, 2015

Call for entries: 2015 Giants 300 survey

The annual Giants 300 Report ranks the top AEC firms in commercial construction, by revenue. 

Industrial Facilities | Feb 24, 2015

Starchitecture meets agriculture: OMA unveils design for Kentucky community farming facility

The $460 million Food Port project will define a new model for the relationship between consumer and producer.

University Buildings | Feb 23, 2015

Future-proofing educational institutions: 5 trends to consider

In response to rapidly changing conditions in K-12 and higher education, institutions and school districts should consider these five trends to ensure a productive, educated future.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category

Great Solutions

41 Great Solutions for architects, engineers, and contractors

AI ChatBots, ambient computing, floating MRIs, low-carbon cement, sunshine on demand, next-generation top-down construction. These and 35 other innovations make up our 2024 Great Solutions Report, which highlights fresh ideas and innovations from leading architecture, engineering, and construction firms.




halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021