About a year ago, SmithGroup merged with Paulien & Associates, a higher education planning firm based in Denver. The two companies had worked together on various projects for a decade, and Paulien has provided planning services for over 700 campuses.
That merger led to the formation within SmithGroup of its Campus Strategy & Analytics service, whose mission is to help colleges and universities evaluate their physical spaces and available resources, and align that information with the institution’s aspirations.
Higher Ed “wants to be nimble, but its assets are fixed,” observes Paul Leef, LEED AP, AIA, Vice President-Campus Strategy & Analytics Services.
Before SmithGroup discusses space with any of its Higher Ed clients, “we have a conversation about strategy,” says Leef. That discussion can touch on everything from the local environment and occupational demand to where a school’s program might be falling short in areas like new teaching and learning strategies, demographic trends, or policy development.
The team then analyzes factors that can include how campus space is being used versus prospective needs, the functionality and location of buildings, and whether the number, size, or type of classrooms is in sync with the campus’ pedagogy.
Leef says his team gives clients an external view of what’s driving education nationally. The team can provide insight into demographic changes and how they are impacting enrollment and teaching; for example, how first-generation students learn differently and require different services.
This exercise is usually less about the quantity of space, and more about repositioning existing assets. SmithGroup recently completed a study for the state of Oregon of its seven state universities, and found that while they had enough space, “they didn’t have the right combination of assets,” Leef says. SmithGroup recommended addressing deferred maintenance and programming in existing buildings. The firm also did a deep dive into those schools’ job markets and occupational demand to develop a framework for making capital fund decisions, and setting priorities for future assets.
SmithGroup has done a similar study for Florida’s legislature of the state’s 12 universities, and will examine Florida’s 28 colleges next. The Campus & Strategy Analytics team, with eight to 10 people, has worked with between 10 and 15 campuses in other markets, including a Big 12 university’s (which Leef couldn’t name) whose School of Medicine wants to enhance its reputation as a research facility.
Because Paulien’s project list is extensive, it can bring in data from other schools and markets to inform its analysis of a particular client. But, Leef is quick to note, “every institution has a different role.”
Those institutions are not required to use SmithGroup’s design services to tap into its strategy and analytics services. “We’re seen more as a trusted advisor that helps our clients succeed,” he says.
Related Stories
Higher Education | Jul 24, 2017
The renovation of the business school at St. John’s University looks to keep up with the Joneses
A nearly 40-year-old space is opened up and modernized.
University Buildings | Jun 29, 2017
Duke University’s new alumni and visitors center is a ‘modern adaptation of the campus’ architectural style’
The project will total about 47,000 sf of new construction and renovations.
Sustainability | Jun 28, 2017
Mohawk College will have one of the region’s first net-zero energy institutional buildings
The project’s net-zero goals led to the development of a new curtain wall system.
University Buildings | Jun 21, 2017
Student residence hall in Lisbon takes biophilic design to the next level
The luxury student accommodations will be Collegiate’s first outside of the U.K.
Building Team Awards | Jun 7, 2017
Blurring the lines: University of Chicago North Residential Commons
Gold Award: The University of Chicago’s new Residential Commons is part campus, part community.
Higher Education | Jun 7, 2017
Building for the future: Five trends in higher education projects
Preparing students for life after graduation has become the primary motivator behind construction initiatives at U.S. colleges and universities.
Higher Education | Jun 6, 2017
Funding remains a concern, but not always an impediment
Colleges and universities are adept at tapping a variety of sources—taxpayers, investors, donors, and, yes, students—to fund their growth ambitions.
Higher Education | May 31, 2017
Space utilization in higher education: more than sf per student
There’s more to space utilization than how often a room is occupied. What happens inside an occupied room is just as important.
Reconstruction & Renovation | May 30, 2017
Achieving deep energy retrofits in historic and modern-era buildings [AIA course]
Success in retrofit projects requires an entirely different mindset than in new construction, writes Randolph Croxton, FAIA, LEED AP, President of Croxton Collaborative Architects.
Libraries | May 16, 2017
A New York-area community college adds new zest to its library
Wired seating and group work areas abound.
