Introduction and reading guide
The universities are being challenged! Learning forms and subject boundaries are changing. New demands for sustainability and flexible building structures have surfaced, and today we see a different interplay between education, research and the surrounding world. This all combines to make it essential for universities to constantly rethink themselves.
More and more universities have realised the potential of applying physical planning. It is no coincidence that MIT chooses planning methods that ensure iconic architecture, that Harvard integrates sustainability into every stage of the planning, or that ETH Zürich chooses to convert a 70’s campus to an academic neighbourhood for ‘Think Culture’.
The physical frameworks are also used strategically on a lesser scale for handling new challenges and furthering study and research environments: Aalborg University provides students with permanent work spaces in the professors’ offices, the University of Copenhagen purchases 1000 tables and chairs, and MIT reconditions conventional lecture halls to encompass new teaching methods.
It is our ambition through this book to present examples of how international and Danish universities work with the physical frameworks. Furthermore, we would like to discuss the way in which we at the Danish University and Property Agency do this. In this way, we hope to inspire planning of the campus areas and student environments of tomorrow.
This book has been written for decision makers at universities, within consultancies and local authorities, as well as for practitioners and users, all of whom work on the planning of campuses and study environments. The book is in both Danish and English, because the challenges of planning campuses and study environments are international, and many of our collaborators are based abroad.
Campus and Study Environment consists of two parts, which deal with the universities’ physical frameworks on two different scales.
The first part of the book, Strategic campus planning, provides a view of what a campus is, introducing a historic, an international and a Danish perspective of the development. Subsequently, the Danish University and Property Agency introduces its strategy for the creation of world-class campuses. Finally, this section contains five international campus cases, which illustrate how they have chosen to handle general issues, such as the physical integration of the university in the city and society.
The second part of the book moves to a smaller scale and examines the Study and research environment. First of all, a number of individual students, teachers and researchers voice their personal visions. The book then goes on to introduce a discussion on what a world-class study and research environment actually looks like. Finally, the book turns to three elements of a good study environment: Study workplaces, ICT-supported learning spaces and laboratories. The three themes are elucidated by means of Danish and international examples and contain general perspectives that also apply to many other elements of a good study and research environment.
In closing, the book presents a vision for The campus and study environment of tomorrow through a series of discussion articles that outline future scenarios.
The book consists of the synthesis of the results of a development work at the Danish University and Property Agency under the auspices of the The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation about the physical framework for campus and study environments. The book is thus the result of a lot of people’s work. Many thanks for your collaboration. Without you there would be no book!
All studies are available for download in their original form from the website of the Danish University and Property Agency: www.ubst.dk. The work of drawing up development potentials for campuses and study environments continues, and we invite you to keep updated with the initiatives via our website; you are also very welcome to contact us.
Cathrine Schmidt, Anthropologist Mikala Holme Samsøe, Architect, MAA