The modern college campus is changing. As university towns become more urbanized, universities are recognizing the wisdom of integrating campuses into the surrounding urban environment. In recent years there has been a visible blurring of town and campus, as urban densities becomes a 21st century reality. As a consequence, there is a growing demand for a more creative use of space. Mixed-use environments are becoming increasingly practical, not only in the urban core, but beyond it in more suburban environments. Thanks to space limitations, growing traffic issues, and commercial integration with academia, mixed-use represents a powerful architectural shift in our built world.
Cooper Carry is at the forefront of evolving education architecture. With a unique knowledge of both university and corporate environments, the firm’s broad experience anticipates the emerging urban integration already underway as campuses and commercial centers think of ways to share increasingly scarce urban space.
“One of the strongest trends, we believe, is that as urban densities grow, universities will continue to outsource housing. You can see the incentives for that change developing now,” says Tim Fish, Cooper Carry Education Studio Associate Director. “Most student housing at major universities was developed decades ago. Since then cities have sprung up around them, and in the process more attractive, less expensive off-campus housing has begun to overshadow on-campus options. Universities are looking for ways to bring that student body back on campus.”
Many colleges own significant amounts of property around the perimeter of their campuses, and have begun to investigate ways to better integrate their expanding environments with those that surround them. Increasingly, many graduate and faculty research is moving forward with corporate support.
“Major research institutions, in particular, are already developing mixed-use communities on the perimeters of their campus space to address how people live,” says Mark Jensen, Cooper Carry Education Studio Associate Director. “Where do they work, where do they study, where do they go for coffee? Forward-thinking institutions are creating residential next to retail, combining the two functions, and creating great places to live. Campuses like those at Georgia Tech, MIT and Ohio State are prime examples.”
In the firm’s work at Georgia Tech and Emory, Cooper Carry has demonstrated
a rare ability to seamlessly merge the campus with the community, bridging the
two without sacrificing the distinct identity of either. As universities become more attuned to the space limitations of expansion, an architecture firm’s experience outside university settings will become especially relevant to colleges. Cooper Carry is unique in this sense. Aside from the firm’s remarkable breadth of experience designing spaces for universities—from academic functions to athletics and student housing—it is equally experienced in the creation of smart mixed-use environments for major corporate entities in urban contexts. Companies like IBM, Kimberly-Clark and Scientific Atlanta have all turned to Cooper Carry to guide their integration into local communities.
“Our dual experience in corporate mixed-use and university settings gives us a clear knowledge of the challenges of facilitating university expansion within the context of the surrounding community,” Jensen says. “University growth is compatible with civic growth—but it takes an experienced eye to understand
how to shape that transition. It’s literally like merging separate but related disciplines into a single college. You have to understand the overlap to see the sense of combining functions.”
“We understand both cultures because we’ve worked extensively in education
and in urban mixed-use settings, and we know the challenges that exist in collaborations between the public and private sector,” Fish says. “More
specifically, we know universities and we know corporate business, and we know how to create environments that meet the needs of both. We believe the urbanized campus is a coming reality—even in suburban towns. It will take real skill to
ensure that campuses retain their identity while still accommodating growth.”