Written Erin Poland and Mike Schulte   What type of academic space encourages students from different disciplines to brainstorm, study and innovate in one another’s company? This was the question put to team members who worked on the new Research Commons in the 18th Avenue Library at Ohio State University in Columbus. The goal was […]

Historically, the library has been the central information resource and academic heart for scholarly activity on college campuses. In that capacity, it is considered a valuable academic asset. Yet, due in large part to the digital revolution, the library’s role has shifted to accommodate the needs of today’s learners. In the process, some campus libraries […]

To understand further how students are using their libraries, a Cincinnati architecture firm surveyed more than 20 of these higher education facilities. The college library’s exterior might be majestic and ivy covered and appear to be a solemn place where words of wisdom literally are etched in stone. But inside, it’s a different story. Rather […]

Paul Orban, AIA, LEED AP, market leader for the higher education studio at BHDP, examines the purposes and benefits of “creative lab” spaces on college campuses that encourage collaboration across disciplines and lead to the generation of new ideas among faculty and students alike. Increased competition from online colleges is prompting many to question the […]

Although the Great Recession ended several years ago, the mantra of doing more with less remains today. This thought process applies to architecture and facilities maintenance as well, whether a new building or rehabilitation project is under consideration. Both require significant investment and resources. A detailed facility condition assessment (FCA), at the beginning of a […]

In this article for University Business, Paul Orban, market leader for higher ed at BHDP, and Tim Smith, director of experiential branding, share how wayfinding and environmental graphics have become integral parts of an institution’s architectural expression.   The needs of those who work and learn in institutions of higher education require environments that reflect […]

Paul Orban, market leader for higher education at BHDP, shares how building design and campus planning can help colleges attract and retain students in the competitive landscape of student enrollment.   Increasing enrollment is a priority for many institutions. The race is on to create a marketplace distinction in order to attract new students and […]

While doing research for a presentation entitled “Learning Spaces for the Future”, I came across the e-Book “Learning Spaces”, published through Educause. The book came up recently in conversation and I was reminded of what a great source of information it is. The book is organized into two parts; part one, “Principles and Practices”, contains […]

My youngest child, Eric, was born in the last year of the “Millennial” generation (1981-2000). When I recently mentioned to him that I was going to begin writing a blog and was not exactly sure how to get going, my nine year old casually replied “A blog is just a virtual diary Daaad. I blog […]

Over the summer of 2010, I had the wonderful opportunity to interview community college presidents, provosts, vice presidents and deans, to better understand the challenges and opportunities that these institutions face as they navigate through these historically tough economic times. Over the course of the next several blogs, I’ll share some common themes that came up consistently during […]