New generation of students establishes its taste.

Universities are seeing a significant growth in enrollment due to the coming of age of the "echo boomers," the children of the baby boomer generation. This generation, now entering adulthood and applying to college, is almost 80 million strong. Many institutions of higher education have made the decision to increase enrollment and are responding to the surge by building. At UCLA there is so much construction, locals have taken to calling the campus "under construction in Los Angeles." Princeton is building its first new residential college in 30 years.

According to a nationwide study by Hillier Architecture of some 200 colleges and universities, 40% have a major science building in the works; almost 40% just completed classroom facilities and 30% are planning new residence halls. A majority of campuses studied had major building renovations underway. Interestingly, leading campuses see the importance of maintaining historic structures to convey a certain character and to tug on the heart strings (and purse strings) of alums. Gone are traditional dormitories with common bathrooms and bare-bones classrooms. Today's students see residence halls with students suites, social lounges and study lounges; libraries and campus centers open all night; and technology cleverly concealed in historic treasures.

Residence halls are a key factor in students' final selection of schools. According to Hillier's study, sometimes they even outweigh the value of athletic facilities or campus centers. But the students aren't looking for the archetypal dorm room. Instead, they expect rooms more akin to luxurious suites.

To lure students, colleges and universities have incorporated everything from big-screen televisions to pool tables to fireplaces and grand pianos in their new residence halls. The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga's new residence hall has all the amenities of home living, including washers and dryers and a fully-equipped kitchen in each suite. The University of St. Francis in Joliet, Ill. gives some lucky students their own small pizza ovens in their apartments.

Many of today's and tomorrow's students come from smaller families. At home, many have their own rooms and bathrooms, their own TVs and computers. And they want the same at college. To wit: Rockoff Hall, a new building developed by the New Brunswick Development Corporation and Penrose Properties for Rutgers University, is an apartment-style residence hall with fully furnished student apartments, a fitness center and restaurants.

Students already expect facilities to be open until 2:00 or 3:00 a.m. Now, some undergrads want their colleges and universities to become 24-hour institutions to keep pace with demanding academics. As a result, more universities are expanding the operating hours of libraries, student centers, and dining facilities. Some institutions are even beginning to rethink the way their most important buildings are organized.

"College is a community where learning is an ongoing interactive process between students and faculty," says Sanford J. Ungar, president of Goucher College. Hillier's design for the new Goucher Athenaeum features a library, cafe, commuter lounge, theater and fitness space. With most of the facility scheduled to be open 24 hours a day, students can literally eat, sleep, study and exercise without leaving the building.

Other institutions have created "learning commons"--areas within the libraries or student centers open 24 hours a day. These commons provide a safe place to study at night and free internet access but limited or no access to the books after hours.

Historic buildings are often the biggest attraction on campus. And because many historic buildings were built to stand the test of time, a little renovation goes a long way. But when students glimpse inside, they want anything but historic. In order to incorporate the technology today's students expect, architects and interior designers have devised smart ways to meld the high-tech with the historic interiors. Air conditioning ductwork and vents are hidden in book stacks or carefully concealed behind millwork or partitions that match the historic setting. Internet ports and electrical outlets are tucked under replicated historic furniture and projection systems are concealed in the rafters.

When Princeton University renovated an old lab building into their new student center they incorporated new technology without dismantling the grand staircase, wooden seats or high ceilings. And they aren't the only ones.

Mount Holyoke's historic gymnasium was "state-of-the-art" when it was built in 1899. Over the years, the university outgrew the 30,000 s/f facility and a renovation seemed inevitable. And when the college built a new recreation center after World War II, the old facility feel into disuse. To save the structure, Hillier developed a design to renovate the facility from a gym to a campus center.

The renovation preserved the building's best-loved characteristics. Its historic, exposed wood roof-trusses and high ceilings were highlighted in the main social space of the new center and incorporated new accent lighting. The running track on the second floor that once circled the gym space was converted to semi-private lounges and student meeting spaces.

KARL PETTIT

ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL

HILLIER ARCHITECTURE