How can the design of academic spaces contribute to the wellbeing of students, teachers, and the larger community?

As the country's only university, the University of the Faroe Islands holds great significance to its surroundings and to Faroese society. Ambitious in its approach and desired impact, the university's new Community Building is imagined as a space to serve all of Tórshavn's academic community, as well as the wider public. So when our team won the competition to design the new building, focus was put on creating spaces that can serve students, staff, and community members, by giving them a platform to share their needs and lived experiences. 

The goal isn't just to create a functional space; it's to build a place where everyone can feel a sense of belonging, and where design actively contributes to the well-being of all users. Engaging directly with users offered our team valuable insights that bring depth to the design process – capturing the hands-on experiences of diverse groups.

Taking Urban Minded to the campus setting

The methods and process of engagement for the project were informed by our social research project, Urban Minded. Urban Minded was initially developed as a user engagement framework using ethnographic research methods to create two open-source guides featuring principles and adaptable methodologies for inclusive design. We’ve adapted this same framework on campus, establishing a process that is both process-driven and impact-focused. This approach began with defining key challenges and desired user experiences, then identifying ways to create meaningful impact through spatial recommendations as well as recommendations that look at the future culture and activation of the building.

To fully understand how the new campus building can best support its community, we engaged directly with students, staff, and neighbors through a range of research activities:

Workshops: Online and on-site workshops. 

• We began our process with the facilitation of an online workshop with key stakeholders, of them, the University's leadership, deans, Tórshavn's City Architect, and representatives of the Student Union. This allowed us to grasp the University's current circumstances, perceptions, and challenges, while also unfolding a vision for its future.
• On site workshop brought together students representing the different faculties and the diversity found within the student body. Sharing lived experiences and exploring values as they relate to space on 3 relevant layers: (1) academic, (2) social, (3) relationship to the city.  Diversity of participants was a key consideration; representing the five faculties as well as different ages, genders, life circumstances, routines, levels of physical ability, interests, and personalities.

Walk-and-talk interviews: With students, staff members and neighbors, conducting interviews while moving through familiar campus spaces enabled candid feedback and revealed insights into what participants valued and what they felt was missing in current facilities.

Observations: Research across existing campus spaces provided context to see how people use and interact with the university environment, helping the design team pinpoint opportunities for improvement.

Our design approach actively contributes to the broader conversation around inclusive and intersectional design, prioritizing the creation of a community building that goes beyond its material form. It is a space that reflects and serves the needs of its users, ensuring that the design is shaped by the people who will interact with it most.