Page 15 - College Planning & Management, March 2019

unprecedented opportunity arose to build a campus from scratch that would accommodate Monterrey Tec’s new teaching methodology, migrating from a traditional educational model to a challenge-based, active learning environment. To accomplish that goal, this massive re- building project required classrooms to be more flexible and collabora- tive by combining inventive architectural design with state-of-the-art technology.
The school’s library, one of three buildings to be completed in the project’s first phase, will bear little, if any, resemblance to the old
one. The library, which will be built in the center of the campus, will no longer be a building just filled with books. It will be designed as a technology innovation hub that reinforces the school’s new teaching model of fostering greater interactive learning and creativity, and it will reactivate the center of campus.
The rebuilt campus will also promote a greater sense of safety and security among students, their parents, and the city’s residents. This was an important consideration in the project’s design, as the former campus was surrounded with heavy masonry walls that largely hampered the community’s ability to feel connected to Tec. The new campus design will be woven more into the fabric of the community, creating more transparency while maintaining security.
To create a more open and secure environment, part of the project’s master plan calls for the construction of glass buildings and digital devices that increase visibility and surveillance of the campus. This will offer increased student safety and enhance the university’s interaction with the community. The redesign of the Tec campus not only facilitates the necessity for flexibility and technology that their new pedagogy requires, it also promotes resiliency and branding.
USING INTELLIGENT TECHNOLOGY TO DELIVER OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY
Universities and colleges resemble small cities; each has their
own infrastructure that must be regularly maintained in order for operations to run as smoothly as possible. But that comes with an ever-increasing price tag, making it very difficult for schools to avoid initiating tuition hikes and cost-cutting measures on academic, sports, student-life, and other programs.
Smart technologies, however, enable schools to operate more efficiently. This, in turn, allows them to continue to meet rigorous academic standards and, at the same time, to keep tuition and other costs as low as possible.
One of their biggest operating costs is energy and water con- sumption. A number of schools have installed smart technology into building control systems and renewable energy programs that have in- creased efficiencies in these areas, producing significant cost savings.
For example, the University of Washington has installed more than 2,000 sensors at its Seattle campus to monitor energy consumption, resulting in a projected return of several dollars in savings for every dollar invested in the technology.
Pacific Lutheran University, a private school in Tacoma, WA, has reduced its energy costs by using IoT devices on its heating and air-conditioning system and doors on campus buildings that measure the number of students entering and leaving buildings. And schools like The University of Texas have or are building their own microgrids to reduce energy costs and lessen their depen- dence on other power sources.
Higher education institutions, of which there are more than 4,000 public and private colleges and universities in the U.S. alone, must adopt smart campus technologies in order to continue to offer top- notch, cost-efficient educational programs in this competitive market. This approach will allow today’s students to meet the demanding challenges that lie ahead in the increasingly digitalized society of the 21st century. CPM
Norma Lehman, RID, LEED-AP BD+C, WELL-AP, principal of Architecture and director of Sustainability for The Beck Group (www.beckgroup. com), has 20 years of experience in architecture, sustainability, and construction across multiple market sectors.
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