Designing flexible and adaptable estates for the
digital revolution over the next 15 yearsHenry Stewart Conference Series
London, UK
Atkins Lectures
2
Philip Watson, UK design director,
Design and Engineering16 September 2014
What we do
University of Northumbria, Campus East University of Edinburgh, Centre Building
University of Northumbria, Sports
Bangor University, Arts Centre
University of Liverpool, Sports University of Northampton, Waterside
Atkins is in the top 10 architects and consultants across the education
sector. You can see some of our projects below.(Barbour Index 2012-13)
Course delivery
206,300= total number of Open University students (year end 2013)
- the most of any institution in the UK
20 UK and international
universities offer Massive Open
Online Courses (MOOCs) via
FutureLearn including Kings
College London and Edinburgh.
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
June 2013 June 2014
Total number of MOOCs: 300% increase since 2013
- Online vs. campus based – the balance is changing
The balance is shifting
towards online resources
and individually tailored
courses.
What does this mean for the
university estate? Might it
suggest that we will need
fewer, smaller physical
campuses in the future?
The learning landscape
Physical environment
University of Northampton, new Waterside campus development:, mosescameronwilliams + Atkins
Despite increase in online study,
universities continue to invest in campus
developments.
Identity/community
Physical environment
So why are universities investing at this
time?
- There’s increasing competition for
students
- There’s a recognition that universities
are competing in a global market
- Brand and the image of the university
is vital
- The campus is key in marketing the
student experience.
ref: Leesman Index: Education
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Library/Learning resource centre
Quiet rooms/individual study spaces
Communal study areas/social learning space
Availability of different types of study space on campus
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
14.6%
31.7%
18.1%
63.5%
Q. My University has effective teaching spaces that support my education.
Physical environment
However, gone are the days of ‘build it and they will come’. You can see from this
Leesman study that almost half of the students surveyed are dissatisfied with the types
of spaces provided for study on their existing university campuses. Investment works –
but only when the estate that is created satisfies student needs.
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Unbalanced priorities
Physical environment
How do we ensure that estates
development meets student
needs? There are complex
relationships between institutional
governance, academic drivers
and the estates department. They
often have competing priorities
that pull in different directions.
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Physical environment
Strategic vision
Only if governance, estates and
academic needs are aligned can
a sustainable strategic vision be
implemented.
Physical environment
University of Northumbria, Campus East, Atkins
Part of our brief at Northumbria University
was to ensure that the new campus could be
adaptable/reconfigurable into an office in the
future. This is crucial - estates investment
needs to consider future adaptability.
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How does the infrastructure support the learning vision? We need to ensure
that any investment in campus infrastructure is flexible and won’t present any
barriers to future use – regardless of how learning will take place.
And we must remember that all elements of the built environment can impact
on learning.
Physical environment
Impact
on learn
ingsuperstructure
building services
internal layout
furniture/
fittings/
equipment
Investm
ent
cost
With acknowledgement to, ‘Shell, Services, Set and Scenery’ Frank Duffy
1970s artistic impression of NASA’s concept for a space station to create more
space on Earth
Back To The Future (a 1989 film set in 2015)
Tomorrow’s world…? Predicting what future technology will look like and its
impact on how we learn is challenging.
Technology
Technology
Google Glass Graphene Wireless power
Here are just three new technologies that could well have an impact on learning:
Google glass – enabling learners to access information in a more personalised and
interactive way (hands free)
Graphene – as well as its many other applications such as in the world of material
science and even medicine, graphene is a new material that might facilitate a significant
change in the way we communicate with screens and mobile devices
Wireless power – meaning that we don’t need to be inhibited by as much infrastructure.
All could help remove inhibiting factors from the way space is used.
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Technology vs. student needs
What remains the same? We haven’t evolved as much as technology – not
since the first computer and certainly not since the first iPhone! We still want:
- Social interaction – the reason why many people choose to attend a
particular institution or to work in coffee shops rather than at home
- To develop our sense of identity
- To be given direction and guidance
- For our universities to provide us with comfort and inspiration.
Student needs
Generation X
30 – 40s
Generation Y
20 – 30s
Generation Z
10 – 20s
Generation...A?
0 -10Age Now
(2014)
Attitude to
technology‘Technoholics’‘Digital
Natives’
Who are the learners of the future? Today’s students are ‘Technoholics’ –
they are completely accepting of and reliant on technology.
‘Digital
Immigrants’‘Techorganics’?
Primary Secondary University
Student needsWhat’s their experience so far? Sometimes we forget what the learning experience of
young people might have been prior to university. With blended learning spaces and
dedicated practical spaces, a significant amount of work has been undertaken to
understand the impact of learning environment on students at primary and secondary
level.
P.S.Barrett et al. (2013). "An holistic, multi-level analysis identifying the impact of classroom design on pupils' learning."
Building and Environment.
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Let’s return to the physical environment of the future. What should learning spaces look
like? They are unlikely to disappear but traditional classroom settings aren’t often going
to be the answer.
Less of this?
Physical environment
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Physical environment
Comfort
We need to ensure that human comfort is satisfied as a minimum. This means good
ventilation, natural daylight and views - we are all drawn to a connection with nature.
Control is key, whether that's for the lighting, the ventilation or the general ambience –
people like the ability to personalise the areas they work in and this extends to learning
spaces.
The role of furniture in these learning scenarios - functional, flexible and comfortable - are
obviously important but furniture also provides the opportunity to zone spaces and even
address acoustic challenges.
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Physical environment
Connectivity
We will need greater connectivity – to other people, to Wifi, and quite possibly, to coffee!
The physical environment plays a vital role in the success of connectivity within a space:
cabling, power sockets and furniture. A strategy of zoning is important – understanding the
hierarchy of spaces in terms of technology/data and telecomms provision but it can also
relate to furniture and other fit out elements.
We need to provide a visible choice of environments to satisfy a variety of learning
preferences.
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Physical environment
Social interaction
It also means improving opportunities for social
interaction – whether that’s in intimate settings
or more communal ones. It is important to be
clear about the culture you’re trying to create
and support – the ambience created within a
given space can support or destroy this
culture.
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Individual Team Guided team learning Presentation
Physical environment
What naturally emerges is the need for a range of spaces to facilitate
different ways of learning. These can be roughly divided into these four
typologies and can manifest themselves in a range of different physical
environments.
Physical environment
‘Traditional’ estate
In conclusion, we are seeing a
potential trend for fewer but
better quality teaching spaces.
This diagram represents a
traditional campus.
One where people would move
between individual spaces; there
would be a series of spaces for
defined for certain activities: a
lecture theatre, a cafeteria,
individual study rooms (most
likely the student bedroom)
separated across the estate,
students would move between
them often spending a very small
percentage of time within the
campus.
Physical environment
‘Traditional’ estate ‘Blended’ estate
But in a more ‘blended estate’ we can begin to achieve more for less – more variety of
spaces for learning with multiple use, with furniture that allows more flexibility in teaching
and learning. This gives a reduced overall estate, improves utilisation and gives more
area per seat.
- Increased diversity of university courses
- Need to align learning, governance and estates
- Digital learning = more variety of space
- Image and identity are crucial to longevity.
Conclusion