Page 46 - College Planning & Management, March 2018

Facilities CAMPUS SPACES
Lighting the Way on Campus
What’s new in lighting technology for campus facilities as well as the campus itself? The answers might surprise you.
BY TOM KACZKOWSKI
EIGHT A.M. CLASSES. Afternoon meetings. Office hours. On-campus meals. Late-night study sessions. Today’s college students and faculty members have
demanding schedules that often involve early mornings and late nights, keeping campuses lively at all hours.
“As the lifestyles of students and faculty change because of sched- ule and performance demands, the design of our campuses must also evolve,” says Julia Heutel, a senior HOK lighting designer who has worked with universities across the U.S. “We are acutely aware that we must do everything possible to make campuses secure, welcom- ing, and easy to navigate for every individual at any time of day.”
Creative exterior lighting solutions can help university ad- ministrators and maintenance staff improve security, streamline wayfinding, and communicate branding in tangible ways.
“Successful lighting design responds to the lives and behaviors of today’s students and faculty,” explains Heutel. “Today’s cam-
puses are 24-hour-a-day facilities. Students, faculty, and visitors should be able to navigate a campus with complete ease, whether it’s 10 a.m. or 10 p.m.”
Enhancing Security and Wayfinding
As they take inventory of their lighting strategies, security is often the primary concern for colleges and universities. Day or night, lighting can contribute to and communicate safety. Lighting path- ways, streets, or building entries offers opportunities to facilitate a greater sense of security that enhances the campus experience.
Lighting can also contribute to campus-wide wayfinding direc- tives by identifying beacon buildings, drawing people into spaces, or leading them along a predetermined path.
At DePauw University in Greencastle, IN, administrators used lighting to draw attention to one of the campus’ most significant build- ings: East College. Located in the heart of DePauw’s central quad, this
44 COLLEGE PLANNING & MANAGEMENT / MARCH 2018
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PHOTO COURTESY OF DEPAUW UNIVERSITY