Designing Physical Places
and Spaces at the College of Liberal Arts

wkrm + COLA

wkrm Project Studio, a student-run, faculty-led design studio housed at the Department of Fine Arts building at the University of Texas at Austin, collaborated with the College of Liberal Arts during the Fall 2022 semester.

Our team studied the use of educational facilities and space to develop insights, ideas, and plans that improve the look, feel, and function of different environments such as exterior entries, rest/study and renewal areas, and public information.

Areas of focus included the Robert L. Patton and Burdine buildings.

The team explored assumptions about topics such as:

When and how students use the spaces.

How the buildings and spaces express COLA identity.

How a sense of belonging might be cultivated by students and faculty.

  • The student team worked in a studio of their own where they could leave work up

  • wkrm materials supported and inspired more physical styles of work in a studio environment

  • Student teams immersed themselves in COLA environments to gain insight

  • Site research produced compelling findings and opportunities

  • All concepts are traceable to research insights and needs

  • Three Concept Categories organize a system of design interventions

  • Student teams produced quick concepts in high quantities

  • Some concepts are narrow and specific, others are broad

  • Research inspired services that offer transformative experiences

  • Prototypes enabled teams to try out ideas and get feedback