With construction booming at colleges across Tarrant County, the higher education leaders who are leading these projects are looking not only at how a building is designed but also how it lives — in other words, the ways in which people will use the space.
“For students, we have what we call integrative learning at (Tarrant County College). We have these environments and classrooms where students (are in) a flexible space with a lot of technology,” said Paul Mitchell, executive director of real estate and facilities at Tarrant County College. “There’s no front of a room. There’s adaptability in those classrooms, so that you know that pedagogy can be adapted to any future needs.”
Inside Southern Methodist University’s Hughes-Trigg Student Center, higher education leaders discussed the building and design trends for college campuses. The panel was organized by the North Texas branch of the Society for Marketing Professional Services, a group of marketing and business development professionals from architectural, engineering, planning and interior design firms.
Around Fort Worth, there’s been a lot of new construction in terms of college spaces. Texas Christian University announced earlier this month a $500 million expansion and renovation plan. Tarleton State University Fort Worth opened a $66 million Interprofessional Education Building this fall in southwest Fort Worth. Texas A&M-Fort Worth’s Law and Education Building has become more of a reality now, as the windows are going up on the high-rise university building in the heart of downtown.
“When we talk about shifts in how students learn, I think that goes on to active learning — being engaged with other students,” said Harry Brittan, director of facilities administration at Texas A&M-Fort Worth. Brittan talked about how they’re looking at what the community needs and building collaboration with other tech companies. “We’re doing that at Texas A&M-Fort Worth, by bringing them in under one roof to co-locate, work, study, learn and do research together.”
The purpose of college buildings is rapidly changing. Texas A&M-Fort Worth is looking at what the community needs, while TCU is looking to see how they engage industry, because that’s where students gain knowledge through experiential learning. Tarleton Fort Worth is looking at sticky spaces, or places where students can study and engage with others — rather than just a place to walk by or stay for a short time. The University of North Texas in Denton is exploring how new facilities can help raise revenue.
Brittan suggested having plans early on in the design process for what’s needed and documenting what’s required, noting that otherwise the price tag of the project will keep going up as more needs are discovered. At TCU, Jason Soileau, assistant vice chancellor for planning, design and construction, said a particular challenge is embarking on expansion, doing the campus master plan first and then rolling out the strategic plan. Soileau said the master plan is pretty adaptable.
“What shifts are we seeing in how students learn? I would say, certainly (in) peer-to-peer and experiential learning, I find that students are really creating opportunities to learn outside of the classroom,” said Soileau. “I think the university owes it to our students to find those opportunities and create those (spaces) of collaboration.”
Rachael Capua, the dean of Tarleton State Fort Worth, said the way space is being used is not just changing for students but for faculty as well.
“Faculty space has been one of the biggest topics,” said Capua. “We’re moving to more open work spaces. We’re doing more hoteling … you have your desk, a workstation with storage versus just a standing desk that goes up and down.”
Renovations and building upgrades are also important, not just the creation of new, shiny facilities, according to panelists. Their suggestion for contractors or firms interested in working with a university? Start working on those smaller-scale projects, then move on to the new builds — the ones that are grabbing attention not just in the region, but across the state.
The Report’s higher education coverage is supported in part by major higher education institutions in Tarrant County, including Tarleton State University, Tarrant County College, Texas A&M-Fort Worth, Texas Christian University, Texas Wesleyan University, the University of Texas at Arlington and UNT Health Science Center.
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