campus making
RECLAIMING CAMPUS OPEN SPACE
We have designed many landscapes for college campuses and have found that the American Campus tradition of organizing college buildings around pedestrian oriented open spaces continues to be a valued ideal. University administrations have been very supportive of the construction of organizing quadrangles and see open space as a primary feature that plays an essential role in the shaping of the character of their campus.
This approach was prominent in the earliest American campuses as beautifully illustrated in Jefferson’s University of Virginia. Unfortunately, campus development took a detour for several decades as advances in lighting and mechanical systems enabled the construction of large mega building complexes. Convenience and cost efficiency were valued above open space and the essential campus, featuring the composed interaction of open space and architecture, was often compromised. A figure ground drawing of most American campuses will show a clot or clots of conglomerated large footprint buildings. This is even true of rural campuses where plenty of space was available.
Happily, we have found that there is a renewed appreciation of the value of greens and quadrangles in the campus experience with great value put on exterior space as an organizing force on campuses. Campus administrators understand the importance of open space and as a result quadrangles are less viewed as potential building sites or places for additional parking. We have worked on several projects where the previous trend toward denser campuses was reversed with new greens being created by reclaiming parking lots and demolishing or relocating existing buildings.
It has been shown that close proximity to natural systems, including plants in particular, enhance the psychological well-being of building inhabitants. As the rapidity of the digital age increases pressures on students who to a greater degree inhabit a virtual world, the opportunity to learn in a setting that provides exposure to open space where actual natural processes are taking place is ideal.