Architecture in Residence: Maintaining the Mission in an Adverse Economy is a think tank for exploring the principles and ideas for implementing student residential communities on both private and public campuses. Buildings devoted to student residential life comprise as much as 50% of college and university campuses, and institutional interest in “living/learning” communities is steadily increasing. The nature of these buildings is important in attracting and retaining students, and they represent a major portion of capital spending and annual operating budgets. This symposium endeavors to deliver information on this timely topic.

This year our panel will discuss the effects of the changing economic climate on college and university planning and construction. We will examine new approaches to traditional project delivery strategies and emerging non-traditional approaches that endeavor to respond to an institution’s aspirations for student residential expansion and renovation with diminished resources while maintaining construction quality and campus aesthetic.

Now in its fifth year, the Architecture in Residence symposia series is moderated by architects, college and university administrators, planners, and experts involved in guiding institutions in planning and implementing their goals for enhancing student life. Architecture in Residence has previously been held in Colonial Williamsburg, VA, Columbus, OH, Princeton, NJ and Cambridge, MA, and has included an examination of the leadership practices undertaken by institutions including MIT, Yale University, University of Connecticut, the Connecticut State University System, Dartmouth College, Middlebury College, Princeton University, and Vassar College in their current capital project initiatives.

This years topics are:

Topic 1 Creating Residential Community, Ten Fundamental Principles:
----------- Presented by Robert Godshall
In this time of diminished financial resources and increased competition, colleges and universities are examining the potential of student residential facilities to add value beyond simply housing its students. To satisfy this aspiration, they are seeking information about emerging ideas of “living and learning” student communities and the “residential college”. To begin our day of reflection and discussion on enhancing value in student residential architecture, this session will discuss the history of residential life on American campuses, the development of different models for residential life, and the sources informing the “living and learning” and “residential college” models.

Topic 2 Do You Re-Invent the Wheel? A Building-Type Analysis of Student
----------- Residential Facilities: Presented by John Saad, Tom DiBlasi and
----------- Joe Schiffer
As the physical reality of most campuses attests, student residential buildings come in many shapes and sizes. Behind this diversity, however, are many shared aspects to their design and construction. Upon examination of these aspects, in fact, a common “building type” emerges, an understanding of which can save time and add confidence to a decision-making process that seeks the right balance between economy and quality.

Topic 3 Preparing a Comprehensive and Affordable Vision for Student
----------- Residential Renewal: Presented by Robert Godshall
Student residential facilities from the post-WW II campus building boom are reaching the end of their useful life. Colleges and universities across America face renovation needs of sometimes staggering proportion, frequently leaving them feeling overwhelmed. In this atmosphere of pressure and urgency to respond, scarce capital resources often are spent unwisely in partial renovations that attempt to address the most critical needs quickly without a clear vision of the ultimate goals or costs of what this process has begun. This session will discuss important planning tools and strategies that can simply and economically provide an institution with a comprehensive vision of the physical, programmatic, and financial renovation needs.

Topic 4 Design/Build: Presented by Pam Delphenich, Simon Etzel and
----------- Joe Schiffer
From the perspectives of the client institution, the builder, and the designer, this session will discuss the process known as “Design-Build”, its differences from traditional project delivery, how it can enhance the potential for delivering student residential facilities within tight budgets and schedules, and its potential pitfalls and how to deal with them.

Topic 5 Private Developer Outsourcing: Presented by L. Jeff Jones
This session will explore the potential rewards and risks when colleges and universities engage private developers to assume the cost and responsibility for building student housing, and if desired, provide management, administration, and maintenance services for the new facility.

Topic 6 Campus Planning: Presented by Mike Van Yahres and
----------- Herbert S. Newman
Planning and realizing the optimum learning environment necessitates careful consideration of the setting as a whole, in the present and in the future. The campus is more than the space between buildings; it is the rational organization of outdoor spaces and systems and everything they include: pavements, walls, fences, lawns, trees, utilities, irrigation, signs, furniture, lighting and buildings. Mike Van Yahres and Herbert S. Newman will present ideas for achieving excellence in campus site design and management, drawing upon their firms' experience on hundreds of campus projects throughout the United States. They will discuss the essential criteria that formulate the basis of a well-designed campus which, if applied together, can enhance the academic setting in its entirety.

Topic 7 What does this all Mean? Moderated by Peter Newman
In this final session of the day, architect Peter Newman will moderate an open conversation with the symposium presenters and guests to talk about the ideas discussed, to share problems, and to hear about the unique situations of attending institutions.



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