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/ BUILDING DIALOGUE / MARCH 2016
W
hile every prospective student has his own
criteria for choosing a college, campus ap-
pearance influences the decision between
62 and 80 percent of prospective students.
Savvy institutions are well aware of the role the
physical environment plays in theirmarketing efforts
and how it drives investment in their facilities. Not
only do they seek to appeal to the best and brightest
students, faculty and staff, but also they must accom-
modate – and retain – an increasingly diverse student
body. Nontraditional students – minorities, adult learn-
ers, veterans, returning students, part-time students who
work part or full time, parents of young children – com-
prise an increasingly larger percentage of the student
population. Additionally, campuses must support new
and varied pedagogies, including customized programs
and learning styles that are collaborative, highly inter-
active and/or student-driven. Finally, administrators are
keenly aware of the influence college rankings have on
recruitment and that campus facilities and aesthetics
can carry great weight in the reporting.
Goals of the Study
To learn more and create evidence about the link be-
tween facility design and student experience, Knoll con-
ducted a two-part study with the Wake Forest School of
Business.
The “Before” study took place while students in the
graduate and undergraduate school of business were
located in two separate buildings on the Wake Forest
Campus. Construction was already underway on Farrell
Hall, a new building that would house both the under-
graduate and graduate school of business in a single
facility designed to accommodate today’s learning and
teaching styles.
The primary goal of the study was to compare stu-
dents’ satisfaction, preferences and perceptions about
their experience in the school of business before and
after the move to Farrell Hall. The studies explored rela-
tionships between elements of the indoor environment
and students’ satisfaction when using the spaces for in-
dividual study, group work, and learning among peers.
Pre Move-in Phase
The pre move-in study revealed three notable con-
nections between design investments and an improved
student experience:
1. A greater variety of spaces improves quality of study
and socializing.
2. Elements of adaptability enhance student satisfac-
tion with space.
3. Functionality of space, legibility (i.e., ease of way
finding, understanding of building layout), brand and
aesthetics drive the student decision to attend the school.
Based on the findings of Phase 1 research, Knoll sug-
gested several broad recommendations for all higher
education institutions to enhance student satisfaction
with their learning experience. In Farrell Hall, planners
were able to incorporate several of these recommenda-
tions into the new facility.
Jenny West
Architecture
and Design
Manager,
Knoll
Moving Forward
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