Talking Stick - September/October 2017 - 30

FACILITIES
The breadth of available independent
and collaborative spaces ensures that all
students have access to the work environments they need to be productive.
By incorporating multiple learning
centers in residential spaces, the classroom and the residence hall are no
longer spatially and ideologically distinct. The organization of students by
academic sector, paired with common
spaces designed to serve academically
inclined purposes, normalizes the process of learning, seamlessly rendering
it a casual part of daily life.
Flexibility: The Collision of
Sub-Communities

This overview of Bell
Hall maps out living
and learning space.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CBT

active classroom - hosts classes and
seminars exclusive to the curriculum
of Bell Hall's living and learning communities. With classrooms in direct
proximity to the residences, students
are encouraged to attend class regularly, meet with professors and classmates before and after each session,
and use the classroom for individual or
group study during off-hours.
With design configurations similar to
those of Bell Hall, 81,000-square-foot
Etheridge Hall and 70,000-square-foot
Maple Street Station at Miami University have utilized multifunctional social and learning spaces to implement
regular speaking programs. "With the
super suites, we've been able to invite
faculty professors and guest speakers
to present on timely, relevant topics of
interest in students' common lounges
and kitchens," says Tresa Barlage Zianno, associate director of residence life.
"By welcoming industry professionals
into living spaces, students can better
understand the real-world application
of their studies, as well as build more
meaningful faculty relationships."
For other campuses, accessibility
,to residential learning spaces provides

TALKING STICK

The intentional
organization of
the residence hall
establishes focused
sub-communities of
social and academic
purpose, while the
spaces' multipurpose
furnishings and spatial
components activate
mixed interactions
between students,
their peers, and
their instructors
in a collaborative
environment.
much needed room for spillover. At
Champlain College, students regularly
seek and utilize study rooms at the
campus's super suites - Juniper Hall,
Butler Hall, and Valcour Hall - when
the library is experiencing heavy traffic.

While this built organization enables
both formal and casual interactions
within a specific learning community, the flexibility of the super suite
activates collisions between learning
communities by broadening residents'
opportunities for cross-sectional education and social engagement.
Truly successful super-suite design
configurations tout versatile furnishings and multipurpose classrooms and
conference rooms that can serve both
social and academic purposes. For instance, Bell Hall's first floor classroom
has movable tables and chairs that can
easily be removed or shifted to create
an open space for social events and
activities. Further, sections of the back
wall of the classroom act as pocket
doors that when pushed to the side
enable access to a community kitchen,
providing a practical gathering space.
Each floor of Bell Hall exhibits a
similar approach, both inside and outside each LLC wing. Each pod, which
contains 27 students, has a common
kitchen with modern appliances, as
well as high-top tables and seating to
encourage intra-community socialization. Meanwhile, a shared lounge
features seating and tabletops that may
be utilized for relaxation or additional
workspace, with supporting writeable walls available for note taking.

Talking Stick - September/October 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Talking Stick - September/October 2017