Higher Education Space: Future Directions

This article is available on line by clicking here or on its title in the following citation: Paul Temple and Ronald Barnett. 2007. Higher Education Space: Future Directions. Planning for Higher Education. 36(1): 5–15.

This paper reports on a study of changing demands for space in United Kingdom (UK) higher education. Physical spaces that universities require are related to their functions in complex ways, and the connections between space and academic performance are not well understood. No simple algorithm can calculate a single university's space needs, but a number of identified drivers frame space considerations. Space designations are blurring, increasingly multi-functional, and exploited more efficiently. The planning of institutional estates must be incorporated into strategic planning initiatives if institutions are to achieve their academic objectives.