We used our research insights to generate many quick concepts that informed three broad concept categories that COLA facilities planning teams can build upon:

1 / Thresholds and Cues

Thresholds are entry and exit points. They can be explicit, like using a door, or subtle, like turning a corner in a hallway. Cues are physical, noticeable things that orient people in an environment.

Thresholds & Cues Visuals

  • Simple directional graphics identify destinations and orient visitors

  • Multilingual department listings reflect the diverse student/staff population and curriculums of COLA

  • Our research suggested that students and faculty had a hard time finding the elevators in some buildings. Simple, bold graphics help to address the problem.

  • An elevator symbol and directional arrow provide a graphic breadcrumb to assist navigation

  • Elevator lobbies can become recognizable landmarks using meaningful graphics

  • COLA personalities can also provide meaningful, memorable landmarks in the buildings

  • Other abstract patterns also add visual interest and reflective moments to environments

2 / Configurations & Adaptations

The organization and arrangement of things in space. People configure a space to adapt it to their immediate and evolving needs.

Configurations & Adaptations Visuals

  • COLA voices of faculty, staff, students, and alumni add a narrative inside the building that combines with movable furniture to create inspirational spaces

  • Existing building areas can be reconfigured to support new activities and behaviors

  • Some spaces can be highly configurable, providing autonomy to students and keeping the space fresh

3 / Localized Services

Meaningful amenities in COLA buildings that build community and pride of place.

Localized Services Visuals

  • COLA “Little Libraries” draw inspiration from the school’s literary culture. These libraries can be small in scale…

  • …or become desirable destinations for delightful knowledge exchange

  • The Little Library Service Ecosystem

  • COLA Coffee (and tea, etc.) offers students, faculty, and visitors a convenient way to get their hot drink of choice and another desirable destination

  • Future implementations might include staffed amenities and become a draw to the wider University community

Prototyping

Our team decided to make and test prototypes to see if we could incite behavioral change in RLP and Burdine. We chose two concepts intended to introduce new services, such as getting coffee and discovering books/literature, and one concept that enabled Liberal Arts students to configure a more comfortable space for study, relaxation, or simple lingering. All of our prototypes were quick and cheap, meant to produce some helpful feedback over a week of testing. But, we only tested for a short time, one afternoon, due to logistical challenges. However, we did get feedback, and the prototypes prompted a meeting about how the project aimed to cause change and led to a new policy about room access in one of the buildings.

COLA Coffee

We created a simple coffee service in RLP to test how students and visitors use space with a new amenity in
it and see if they would hang around in the building longer. Our feedback form included complimentary comments about getting coffee in the building during the day and showed evidence of
increased use!

The Little Library

We created a small library that looked like an ordinary “little library” often seen in residential neighborhoods to see if students or visitors would find joy and value in having access to literature available and displayed in the Burdine hallways. We were also interested to see how the library would affect the look and feel of a typical corridor. After only 90 minutes, two books were withdrawn and three added.

Soft Configurable Surfaces

During our research in Burdine we found a hallway that students use to hang around and study in. Some of our concepts suggested “configurable and adaptable” spaces, so we introduced different sizes of pillows to soften the hard surfaces and see if people would respond to the added comfort. Our brief test showed students instinctively grab the pillows, sit on them, or use them as a comfy prop for their work.

  • COLA Little Library

  • COLA Little Library Card

  • Prototype detail

  • The prototype on a bench in Burdine

  • COLA Coffee Station

  • COLA Coffee Station with messaging

  • Soft Surfaces Prototype

Little Library Pilot in the Robert L. Patton Building

Implementation Planning
To help COLA teams plan and prioritize which concept pilots they implement, we’ve organized them into three useful categories.

  • Applied

    These design concepts can be applied to a surface using such materials as paint, tape, or vinyl graphics. The investment level is low and the completion timeline is relatively quick.
    _

    Concepts include:
    Wayfinding graphics
    Interpretative/Decorative graphics (quotes, textures, color areas)


  • Installed

    These design concepts may require purchase of objects or materials that need to be installed in a space. The investment level and completion timeline are medium.
    _

    Concepts include:
    Elevator Lobby Graphics
    Wall Graphics
    COLA People Portraits
    COLA Comfy Corner (modular furniture)

  • Renovated

    These design concepts require some interior renovation of space inside or outside a building. The investment level is high and the completion timeline is longer.
    _

    Concepts include:
    COLA Coffee Counter (full area)
    COLA Little Library (full library)
    COLA Comfy Corner (fabricated seating, flooring, short walls or privacy screens)