2009 Subcommittee Chair: Lisa Johnson, AIA
Join the Higher Education Subcommittee LinkedIn Group.

October 2009

In future communications, expect to receive detailed information and research on the following areas of exploration by the Higher Education subcommittee. Also, we are always recruiting volunteers for our subcommittee and to assist in our efforts!

This year the Higher Education subcommittee is focused on three themes:

• Higher Education Evaluation: Innovative Learning Environments and Higher Education Evaluation & Benchmarking
  Contact: Bukky Akinsanmi, AIA, LEED^® AP, SHWGROUP, bakinsanmi@shwgroup.com
• Subtheme: Institutions of Higher Education – Think Tanks and Innovators
  Contacts: Joseph R. Benesh AIA, NCARB, CSI-CDT, LEED® AP, Zyscovich, jbenesh@zyscovich.com, and Toni Loiacano, AIA, LEED AP, URS Corporation, toni_loiacano@urscorp.com
• Master Planning
  A review of the need, purpose, scope and value of campus master planning services; as well as a detailed look at the demand for professional services and the key ingredients for successful efforts in today's challenging marketplace.
  Contacts: Altaf Mulla, AIA, AICP, State of Massachusetts, altaf.mulla@state.ma.us, and Jane Hendricks, SRG Partnership, jhendricks@srgpartnership.com
• Process, Design, and Sustainability (including renovation/repurposing, and adaptive reuse)
  Contact: Toni Loiacano, AIA, LEED AP, URS Corporation, toni_loiacano@urscorp.com

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July 2009 News

The AIA Committee on Architecture for Education Higher Education Subcommittee currently has on the roster nearly 70 licensed architects, planners, and designers from private practice and from inside higher educational institutions who are interested in pursuing best practices and trends in higher education design. We are interested in pursuing research, articles, trends, and best practice information related to the following proposed areas:

• HIGHER EDUCATION EVALUATION (benchmarking, evaluation, innovative learning environments and higher education as “think tanks”)

• MASTER PLANNING (including agenda planning, sustainable growth planning, campus community, blurring of living/learning, community partnerships, and sense of place)

• PROCESS, DESIGN, AND SUSTAINABILITY (LEED, net zero and carbon neutral, integrated design)

We are currently finalizing our approach to these areas (and identifying what we would like to achieve/respond to for each as a measure), and in order to get to the next level of detail, we will begin delegating responsibility to individuals within the sub-committee who will lead research and communication related to each topic.

June 2009 News

This subcommittee currently has on the roster nearly 70 licensed architects, planners, and designers from private practice and from inside higher educational institutions who are interested in pursuing best practices and trends in higher education design. We are investigating themes common to our practice that might serve as launch pads for further research and communication over the next year.

This month we will finalize the themes, and will begin delegating responsibility to individuals within the subcommittee who will lead research and communication related to each topic. As we begin to delve into these trends related to higher education, we plan on sharing the best examples of design, research, articles, and trends with the entire membership.