IN-PERSON Barcelona. Section A

Abstract

As one of the United States’ largest Universities, 60,000+ students form a distinct community located within the larger city context. The University’s physical places serve multiple functions: social, learning, working, or living (Wyckoff, 2014). Third places, or social spaces that are neutral with few formal obligations (Oldenburg, 1999), have become the new environment for working. Gensler’s 2022 Education Engagement Index reported 49% of students prefer hybrid learning, noting students come and stay on campus to socialize and work with classmates. These third places support social well-being, provide chance encounters, classroom break-out spaces, collaboration areas, individual work space alongside others, and relaxation spaces (Gensler, 2022). This project’s research reported 73% of students learn best in-person and 69% stated third places (libraries, lobbies, cafes, and labs) as preferred for outside-of-class time. This paper presents five years of engaging students in co-designing campus third places. The project partnered with the University’s Learning and Collaborative Environments team and a major furniture manufacturer. The project engaged various stakeholders, identifying existing pain points, current needs, and ideal future. Design students applied the findings to design third places for buildings identified by the Campus partner. The design goals were to: foster a community of belonging, support well-being, facilitate collaboration, encourage learning beyond the classroom, and increase campus engagement. Student designs were reviewed by the furniture manufacturer and campus partner each year, selecting one design to implement. This paper presents these designs and the recurring themes from all 93 projects.