While some schools consider opening up their classrooms this fall and others have already made the decision to close their campuses to focus on online learning, the uncertainty has left many wondering how the college experience will transform further as the pandemic rages on. This is why we must consider a new mindset to build a resilient but engaging system that outlasts the pandemic and helps update the concept of a classic college education.

As part of HMC’s ongoing research effort to better understand the long-term effects of COVID-19 and develop solutions for these institutions, we spoke with higher education clients, students, contractors, and consultants to gain insight and understanding of short-and long-term impacts of COVID-19 on facility design and operation for college campuses and universities.

HMC is committed to sharing our findings with the industry in a series of white papers that focus on five main areas of Technology, Adaptability and Flexibility, Regulatory/Budgetary/Institutional Impacts, Space Needs Restructuring, and Impact to Wellness/Mental Health. In this paper, we cover our findings on evolving space needs, reduction, and restructuring as it relates to the higher education sector.