Bloomington, IL – Site preparation is now underway at Illinois Wesleyan for the newest addition to the university’s main quad: a technology-rich classroom building with a wide array of classroom, study, and social spaces.

Sustainability is the watchword from project outset, as construction waste and debris from the site is recycled. The brick-clad building will be highly energy-efficient, with generous use of natural light and a geothermal field below.

The new classroom building is Shepley Bulfinch’s third project on the Illinois Wesleyan campus, following the Ames Library, which opened in ...[more]

Sometimes the most sustainable strategies in higher education are hidden in plain view. That’s Annie Newman’s point in her article “Do more, build less,” which appears as an online exclusive in the July 2011 issue of University Business magazine.

In the article, Annie discusses the ways that institutions can reduce capital costs and environmental impact through wise space use, and the strategies for managing existing space efficiently.

As the leader of Shepley Bulfinch’s planning practice, Annie has conducted space utilization studies for campus across the US and has presented and blogged on the ...[more]

Johns Hopkins marked a milestone in the completion of the Brody Learning Commons with a May 9 topping-off ceremony. The symbolic last steel beam, bearing hundreds of signatures of members of the Hopkins community, was hoisted into place at the end of the event.

The innovative design of the law library at Marquette Law School is the subject of “A library without borders,” a feature in the May 2011 issue of the AALL Spectrum, the monthly publication of the American Association of Law Libraries. The design of the library, which is integrated across the four floors of the law school, reflects Marquette’s commitment to a welcoming environment for scholarship.

Eckstein Hall, which houses the law library, opened in September 2010. Authors Julia Jaet and Patricia Cervenka are the law libary’s reference/administrative services librarian ...[more]

“Collaboration Station,” a feature in the May 2011 issue of University Business magazine, discusses the design of collaborative study spaces in higher education. Ed Gomes of Duke University talks about the Duke Link, the interactive teaching and learning space designed by Shepley Bulfinch which opened in 2008, noting that the project “was about creating an atmosphere in which people can experiment.”

Since the Link opened in 2008 it has attracted significant attention from institutions of higher education and architects across the US. Ed Gomes discussed the Link’s creation in a ...[more]

The University of New Mexico’s Science & Mathematics Learning Center in Albuquerque was dedicated on March 4, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and building tour. University Regent Carolyn Abeita and President David Schmidly were joined by political and community leaders and senior administrators for the event.

“I’m very excited to see the vision of the Center come to life,” said Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Brenda Claiborne. “Not only does the center provide fully equipped teaching labs and classrooms aimed at engaging freshmen and sophomores in science and mathematics, but it ...[more]

2010 PKAL Learning Space Collaboratory National Colloquium. Whew! That’s quite a mouthful. I was fortunate enough to attend, and it was a great weekend of very robust discussion (and some fun!).

Under the guidance of Jeannie Narum, Principal of the Collaboratory, nearly a hundred educators, higher ed administrators, architects, planners, landscape architects, librarians, scientists, and others came together to share their knowledge and questions about “What We Know About Planning Learning Spaces and What We Still Need to Know”.

A combination of presentations, interactive sessions, small group work, the Colloquium modeled the type of ...[more]