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A new generation demands a new way of learning.
As a generation of students recover from a lacking education experience brought on by the pandemic, a hybrid approach and social wellbeing remain a priority. So, do campuses and education spaces need a rethink to cater to this new (and next) generation? Just like the workplace, our panel agrees that the next few years will see hybrid learning continue to grow – and creating new ways to support this will be a high priority for education institutions to attract a generation of disenfranchised learners.
“Nowadays it’s much more about focusing on the individual and collaboration between peers,” said BDP’s Nigel Coutts, “creating social spaces and ripping out rows and rows of desks. Universities are now focused on adapting spaces to react to remote learning – including seamless technology.”
Agile and modular spaces are crucial, the panel agreed. They can accommodate diversity, adapt to various learning styles and react to different teaching scenarios – moving away from transactional experience to a more holistic and engaged experience. For Hawkins\Brown’s Morag Morrison, adapting buildings to become relevant is a challenge but also the obvious choice for many universities and colleges –optimising both spatial use and functionality.
“Universities are learning to use smart technology and to make their buildings work much harder. They might not have the quantum of buildings, but the buildings they do have they are investing in and really making them work harder and for longer hours. We need buildings that respond to human needs, with lighting and acoustics. We’re not there yet with technology – it needs to be more creative.”
“I think the biggest challenge has been the integration of technology,” Coutts continued. “It also comes down to a human level. The technology is there, but whether the people using it are finding it any easier, I’m not so sure.”
However convenient, online teaching can’t replace the benefits physical environments provide for young people,” added Morrison. “It’s where our social skills and relationships develop. People feel they need an identity to where they’re working or learning, because if you’re working or learning in a hybrid situation, you need something that pulls you to that organisation or gives you some kind of ethos about the place.”
Do we ever stop learning? How can we bridge the gap between education and workplace?
Students are now offered a variety of choices for learning and work placement – and, mixed with soaring tuition fees, there has been a notable decline in enrolment and interest in traditional higher education according to surveys from the likes of Universities UK. How can we make it an attractive choice again? “A lot of students feel that university is a bit of a lost opportunity before they get into industry,” said Coutts. ‘For them, the university is simply the launch pad in the middle – and what they don’t want it to be is an academic drag. They want it to be the accelerator that allows them to push into those environments. This is where we can set them up and give them a workplace-like experience.”
“A lot of universities we are working with are opening up their buildings to the wider community too,” said Morrison, “bringing industry in and setting up incubator units.”
Perkins&Will’s Sunny Velikova agreed we need to bridge the gap that currently exists for a smoother and more effective transition. “Workplace and education are so different in the way that spaces are created, but also in the way they work. Previously they were created for the industry era – where people were in clear roles, working in roles, studying in roles. Now, it’s completely different. We work everywhere and anywhere. I think it’s important to bring the workplace into education, to teach people how to use current technology and to make the transition more valuable for everyone.”
“Universities are also having to teach life skills to students more than just an academic subject,” noted Morrison. “It’s also about how students live, it’s how they socialise, how they collaborate – there’s also much more peer- to-peer learning than professors standing up and dictating something to students. It’s much more about how students interact and learn from each other and creating those kinds of spaces for that to happen.”
“Look at the coworking spaces we’re creating,” agreed Zoe Bailey, Morey Smith. “You have podcast rooms, meeting spaces – so much variety. Why can’t we reflect that in our learning spaces?”
Users are now expecting high- quality amenities as a standard, said Jolie’s Emma Flowers. “Recent student accommodation projects we have worked on have included the likes of podcasting rooms, wellness facilities, spaces that can be used for pop-ups. They do have this entrepreneurial spirit and are interested in a high-end experience – they have so much exposure growing up in this generation.”
“And that rolls into education spaces,” continued Coutts. “A lot of what is still being offered is a little library space with a desk; what they really want is and friction-free technology, so they can see where they’re going and what people are doing in the workplace.”
“Who, how, what?” Designing to the edges works for everyone.
For our table, inclusive, universal design isn’t about ticking boxes but designing spaces that include everyone as much as possible. Offering a sense of support and designing for all learning modalities and requirements – from clarity and ease of wayfinding to sensory wellbeing and creating variety so that people can find a place that works for them. “I’m not sure there’s ever going to be one space that suits everybody,” pondered tp bennett’s Amy Barrs, “and that’s why variety and options are so important.”
Designing to the edges shouldn’t mean a compromise, and our guests agreed that creative solutions to creating a sense of belonging and ease of use should be built in at the start of a project and integrated into the design, whether building from scratch or retrofitting an existing building. Of course, acknowledging diversity and inclusion is great, but how we translate those voices is key, argued Velikova – providing students with access to spaces dedicated to supporting their overall wellbeing through programming or simply a quiet spot to focus. “It’s so important to get the users involved from the start for a real conversation. For example, people socialise differently. Not everyone is comfortable meeting in big, collaboration spaces.”
“It also comes down to high stimulation, low stimulation areas,” agreed Barrs. “Colour can be used really successfully – we recently used a lot of colour psychology in a workplace project, providing employees with different coloured floors for different activities.”
“Even from a product sense, we build in sensory and biophilia into our designs from the start,’ added Jose Hamp, modulyss. “It also helps with wayfinding, using the floor pattern to guide people with soft transitions. Sensory design is a mixture of a lot of little things, and often flooring can bring it all together.”
Cross-sector design can help shape a new approach.
“Post-COVID we really realised that we need our workplaces to work harder and accommodate our lives a little more,” said Velikova, “and I think education spaces can still learn a lot from that. A lot of offices are more homely and comforting and less corporate.”
“We’ve really led the way in championing the concept of the ‘hotelisation’ of the workspace,” Flowers agreed. “Now we’re coming back to the office, people won’t accept the Cat A white box anymore – they want amenities, comforts they had at home. It still is very office-coded but with different elements pulled from residential and hospitality to galvanise connection and interaction.”
Although the panel appreciated the similarities between learning and working, they were keen to point out the differences. “As an adult in the workplace you’re expected to conduct yourself in a certain way or you’re out the door,” said MoreySmith’s Bailey. When you’re a child or young adult you’re given certain leniencies around your behaviour because you’re learning, and we do need to create a certain amount of structure. However, I think there is still too much structure in current education and it doesn’t cater to students’ needs. So when we talk about adding elements of resi or hospitality, it’s not about home comforts, it’s about the freedom to choose.”
