Designing Spaces for Higher Education: 10 Key Principles

As a focus for design, higher education covers multiple uses and typologies – from seminar rooms to lecture theatres to operating theatres. Through our understanding of the operational and aesthetic requirements of different end-users, Oktra is well-positioned to advise on design solutions in this area.

The ‘sticky campus’ concept, for example, is rapidly gaining traction as a mechanism for creating a sense of belonging in a student population. By offering diverse amenities, high-quality facilities and surroundings, institutions can attract and retain students and meet their annual quotas. But crucially, this concept is more relevant for undergrads than postgrads. For older postgraduate students, some of whom might have families, institutions need to conceive more nuanced and practical engagement strategies.

How to design higher education spaces

The shift towards a learning-based design model recognises the need for education environments to be more human-centric and user-led. With formal approaches to information transmission becoming obsolete, namely the podium and lectern, learning spaces need to be reimagined, with the student at the heart of all design interventions. Physical surroundings can maximise learning opportunities and by creating more informal and holistic education environments, mobilising the entire campus to enhance learning outcomes.

Here, we outline ten key principles for designing inclusive, effective and human-centric spaces for higher education.

2. Zoning

Zoning enables interiors to operate in ways that support diverse modes of learning. It can be used to separate collaborative activities from focused individual study, just as coworking spaces clearly distinguish between social and private work areas. ‘Bleacher staircases’ within education interiors are increasingly deployed to encourage interaction and engagement. Breakout spaces can also be created by dividing up larger areas into smaller zones using furniture, panelling and other features.

4. Open and flowing space

There is evidence to suggest that enclosed spaces have a negative impact on learning. Conversely, open, curved and flowing spaces, particularly those with high ceilings, are known to boost focus and engagement. Curvilinear design features, for example, elicit an emotional response, helping to inspire and excite. High ceilings, meanwhile, stimulate what’s known as ‘visuospatial exploration’, which leads to increased attention. By enabling expansive thought, emotional connection and concentration, open spaces can significantly enhance the learning experience for higher education students.

6. Adjacencies

By co-locating different faculties and schools under the same roof, institutions can create fertile environments for cross-disciplinary interaction and collaboration. Porous building typologies enable these ‘inspired adjacencies’ to support the flow of ideas and innovation across departmental boundaries. In this way, they allow vibrant exchanges between different subjects, teaching staff and student bodies, reinforcing overlaps while shaping new conversations. This model can also help to promote a culture of shared space, curiosity and understanding.

8. Air quality

Fresh air and ventilation are essential ingredients of well-functioning institutions. Not only does good air quality promote respiratory health, but it also removes a barrier to improved learning outcomes. Indeed, poor air quality is known to negatively affect student attendance and academic performance. Natural ventilation is the key here, as it obviates the need for air conditioning and reduces operational costs. These measures also contribute to overall Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ), which is a measure of a building’s ability to optimise light, air and thermal load. Passive design features, and the relationship between indoor and outdoor spaces, are key to improving IEQ for building inhabitants and users.

10. Comfort

From pre-schoolers to postgraduates, physical and sensory comfort is key to learning. Ergonomic seating, daylight, fresh air, gentle acoustics and lighting all help to provide a pleasant experience within learning spaces. They also prevent students from becoming distracted through discomfort. Sources of discomfort include hard and uneven seating, bright glaring lights and noise disturbance, all of which can contribute to suboptimal learning conditions. By alleviating distraction, comfortable surroundings also alleviate stress, helping students to remain focused and calm.