Flexibility, Versatility, and AdaptabilityMeredith College – Planning facilities for Undergraduate Science & Mathematics

W. Bradley Kincaid – Mesa Community CollegeTerry Sargent – Lord, Aek, & Sargent ArchitectureMichael Reagan – Burt Hill

Figure 1 supplies a three-dimensional model of the fixed components of ground floor. To understand the color-coding of the model, the following table details the associated building component with the anticipated years before modification.

Figure 2 details a vertical cross-section of the building identifying the 100-year support structures and the “fixed” utility shaft. The figure depicts how utilities are delivered to each of the universal spaces. Access to the utility shaft occurs on each floor and in each functional area to accelerate the delivery of utilities with minimal disruption.

Figure 3 presents a top-down view of a typical engineering building floor plan. This floor plan provides a representative design of lab space, meeting areas, faculty offices, and support space. Because the interior walls are “moveable,” the universal space can be designed to fit any functional requirement.

Figure 4 Furniture and Casework and Moveable Partitions

The Context – Effective Science Learning Spaces

Space Variables

Big ActiveDirectedExperientialFormalHigh Tech

SmallPassive

InteractiveDidacticInformal

Low Tech

Range

Student Variables

Leader HunterGroupTalkerThinkerReaders

FollowerGathererIndividual

ListenerDoers

Observers

The Context – Effective Science Learning Spaces

Range

Complications

Multiple attributes for spaces and students

Changing spaces and students

Connections between students and spaces

The Context – Effective Science Learning Spaces

Then

Uni-disciplinaryFixed labs

Teaching focusedHands-off

Interaction toleratedIndependent projectsLimited computingLarger class sizesFew instruments

Now

Multi-disciplinaryFlexible labs

Learning focusedHands-on

Interaction encouragedGroup projects

Ubiquitous computingSmaller class sizes

Proliferation of instruments

Science Facility Attributes

The Context – Effective Science Learning Spaces

Flexible Uses

Flexible Uses

focus on flexibility teacher focused

peer-to-peer peer-to-peer collaboration

Flexible Uses

Flexible Uses

Flexible Planning

Daily Flexibility

Daily Flexibility

Hourly Flexibility

Group Flexibility

The Learning Context – Variety of Form

Planning Flexibility

Planning Flexibility

Planning Flexibility

“In our design charrette, we started with the assumption that student collaboration in small groups is central to science education. This led our lab consultant to design a moveable lab bench that can be configured to accommodate small group collaboration as well as class discussion. Our architects then added access to technology and multimedia to design a laboratory around these lab benches. They then combined eight of these labs and four classrooms with some spaces that promote informal interactions to give us a building that works for science education now and that will be extremely flexible for the future.”

A Member of the Life Science Design Team on the Design Process

Mesa Community College, Mesa, Arizona

First Floor

Second Floor

Mesa Community College

Mesa, Arizona