Contract Magazine – Foresight 2019 - 54

NEOCON 2019

Expert Perspectives:
The Future of Education

It seems that some of the big buzzwords in education these days are
collaboration, flexibility, and personalization. Do you consider this true
for yourself or is there something else you're focusing on?
CS: The issues facing our clients and their students include the terms mentioned,
but just as important are the issues of value, inclusion, wellness, and experience.
By Meghan Dwyer
It is no secret the "value" of a higher education is under constant evaluation and critique.
The need to control costs, in some ways, is overshadowed by the value proposition.
Costs, in all likelihood, will not diminish. Rather, those institutions which cannot
Patricia Bou, AIA, LEED AP, principal, CannonDesign;
communicate and deliver value will cease to exist.
Charles Smith, AIA, LEED AP, principal, CannonDesign;
Student conversation revolving around diversity and inclusion is heightened
Lynne Deninger, AIA, LEED AP, principal, CannonDesign
by tensions in our cities and country. A collective need to embrace the richness
of diverse thought is manifested in class offerings, co-curricular activities, and facility
design throughout all levels of education. Affinity groups are no longer on the margins;
their need for space, microphone time, and visibility are here and are being recognized.
The global strife we face in the daily news cycle impacts mindsets of our youth and
has tangible influence on how they interact on campuses-large and small.
Patricia Bou leads CannonDesign's education practice in Washington, D.C.
The concept of wellness is broadened in the minds of today's students to
Her leadership spans all higher education typologies from early master planning
include physical, psychological, financial, and spiritual impact. Facilities, programs,
to innovative academic design solutions across North America. Charles Smith
and personalized options must cater to the needs of students who expect 24/7 choice.
has experience with top-tier institutions across multiple education sectors.
Our never decelerating existence does not always appeal to today's learner, who
He networks with national laboratories, corporations, and private developers,
affording an immensely broad platform to build meaningful partner opportunities. has set wellness at the center of the happiness quotient. They seek activities that
promote social good, solve environmental issues, and supplant the ownership mindset
Lynne Deninger is a member of CannonDesign's board of directors and the
of prior generations. In response, education institutions are adjusting programs
office practice leader in Boston. With almost 30 years of design and planning
and their facilities to meet the qualitative changes in student expectations.
experience, Deninger is an expert in university architecture.
PB: We can create things that are collaborative, flexible, and personal, but we're
thinking more about health and wellness through creating additional opportunities
As experts in education, what are some trends and new directions in the field
for social engagement. Opportunities that create interpersonal connections.
that you're excited about?
These are truly the foundations for student health and wellness.
CS: Designing for inclusivity. Higher education institutions are striving to offer
You're now designing education spaces for Gen Z students. How will this
peer-to-peer and broader, campus-wide experiences that jettison a homogenous
impact the way offices and other spaces will look in the future?
academic journey. We observe that cross-disciplinary programming and curricular
LD: Offices and "spaces of the future" are going to slowly dematerialize. The office
offerings are synonymous with 21st-century learning. We also see higher education
as a homogenous place will be virtual, and the spaces people will seek out to work
institutions engaged in a conscious drive towards multicultural human experience
in will be in communities of other virtual employees. These virtual spaces allow Gen Z
as they recognize evolving campus cultures. Higher education class offerings
students to seek out community engagement if they please, and also let them work
and student life facilities are being programmed and designed to create more open,
independently, if preferred.
collaborative, and supportive environments for all students.
You did an amazing dormitory space that included a business design incubator
PB: We're seeing institutions seeking to create a nexus across multiple generations
at the University of Utah. What's another recent space that you're particularly
within lifelong learning opportunities. They're achieving this through developing
proud of and why?
spaces and places that support student population, both in brick-and-mortar facilities
PB: The Reading Room/Incubator Lab at Texas Christian University found within
and online. These spaces help develop long-term connections through creating
Rees-Jones Hall is one we're also proud of. The school-house-esque space blends
pipelines, increasing student outcomes, and promoting alumni engagement.
the traditional with the contemporary, celebrates TCU's academic mission, and isn't
Where do you see education going three to five years from now?
dedicated to a single department or school, thus allowing it to be cross-disciplinary.
CS: The education industry continues to align its trajectory with an evolving
Is there something more about the future of education that we should
society under the influences of technology omnipresence, social consciousness,
be talking about?
health and healthcare migration, and increasing environmental pressures. To capture
PB: There is much research related to the health benefits associated with
the attention of future constituencies, curricula aligned with these societal pressures
education, and conversely with health and educational attainment. We believe that
are the focus of institutional missions. Education content and leadership at K-12,
the key to creating meaningful societal impact lies at this intersection. As a crosscommunity colleges, and four-year higher education institutions are tracking these
market practice we are uniquely poised to contribute toward solutions that center
macro movements. Facilities are being designed and built to alter the student
on this idea. Our "why?" is rooted in ensuring education can serve as a catalyst
experience and support their wellness, science and entrepreneurial knowledge,
for improved health and socioeconomic outcomes for individuals and communities
and cross-disciplinary problem-solving skills. With new programs and facilities,
and creating space and place that can be used to drive societal organizational change.
like innovation centers, STEM facilities, and student rec centers, campuses
LD: Additionally, we're seeing institutions are increasingly thinking about spaces
are refining their profiles to stay relevant and attractive.
for lifelong learning. This idea was historically the realm of community colleges
PB: Institutions want more access to students, whether through building satellite
and certificate programs, as people navigated the evolving workforce landscape.
campuses, acquiring a smaller campus with complementary programs (or programs
However, now more public and private four-year institutions are capturing market
that fill a gap), or through exploring online learning options. When larger institutions
share by thinking about how to serve learners across their lifetimes. What this
acquire smaller ones, the smaller institutions typically have specialty program
means to us is that the flexibility and adaptability of spaces for learning goes beyond
strengths in unique disciplines that help enhance and reposition the larger institution.
meeting the expectations of the current generation of students. We are thinking about
They also create greater access to multiple campus destinations, thus capturing
spaces that serve multi-generations, and maybe sometimes even simultaneously.
a larger market.
54

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