A look at the numbers and trends behind the evolution of spaces on campus today, and beyond
The pandemic, changes in enrolment numbers, and shifts in technology are causing the way institutions use higher education campuses to shift.
Some of these changes were already in process. Since 2010, the US has seen shifts in the population and enrolments:
- The nationwide birth rate fell significantly between 2007 and 2022, dropping from 14.3 births per 1,000 people to 11.1, or nearly 23%, per new CDC data.
- In 24 states, the number of public university students declined at least 4 percent from fall 2019 to fall 2021
Alongside these demographic shifts, there have been major spatial utilization shifts on campus post-pandemic:
- Utilization of classrooms and other physical campus spaces decreased to less than 60% of capacity
- The hybrid work/work-from-home shift is likely to alter administrative staff needs and decrease the amount of administrative space needed by prompting a move toward a hoteling approach, with shared offices used at different times.
- Hybrid/remote work is also viewed as a means of generating a broader pool of talent across a larger geographic area to hire from
With these changes, campuses are becoming more flexible and agile, with many institutions looking for ways to shift or reduce their footprints and become more sustainable and efficient. We looked at 3 recent examples:
While the outcomes will be different for each institution, the goals of gathering spatial utilization data to make decisions are the same:
- Validate new construction design with accurate and detailed data
- Gather data now, and for future campus planning
- Optimize and reclaim underutilized spaces
- Contribute to your ESG goals with better designed spaces
- Understand how your current spaces are being utilized and find efficiencies
Sources:
- https://assets.ey.com/content/dam/ey-sites/ey-com/en_us/topics/education/ey-the-new-normal-higher-education-in-post-covid-19-world.pdf
- https://bakerstuart.com/the-importance-of-space-utilisation-in-higher-education-an-overview/
- https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/higher-ed-gamma/post-pandemic-college-campus-design-challenge
- https://www.insidehighered.com/news/business/physical-campuses/2023/08/03/reconfiguring-campuses-remote-work-era
- https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-pandemic-may-have-permanently-altered-campuses-heres-how?emailConfirmed=true&email=carolinesstarr%40gmail.com&success=false&bc_nonce=19kqqs0yb14he321oxmyew
- https://www.tradelineinc.com/reports/2023-7/private-industry-and-academic-institutions-unveil-post-pandemic-hybrid-workplace-and
- https://www.axios.com/2023/10/04/birth-rate-fertility-rate-decline-data-statistics-graph-2022
Curious about what InnerSpace could do for your institution?
