Event Schedule

See the full list of participating exhibitors and event hosts.

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Renovating and reprogramming existing space—paired with a hard look at how that space is actually used—can eliminate the need for new construction and deliver substantial capital savings. A campus-wide utilization study at Carroll College revealed enough hidden capacity across classrooms and general campus spaces to halt a planned building project and avoid over $17 million in new construction costs. Amy Clark and Dan Byrd detail the modernizations and upgrades that made existing spaces more functional and desirable, the scheduling and sharing practices that unlocked latent capacity, and the cultural shifts and leadership required to deliver the renovations the campus needed.

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When research cannot pause for renovation, the renovation must work around the research. Lena Lynch charts a 12-phase comprehensive modernization of Nationwide Children’s Hospital aging research facility which kept operations fully running while systematically refreshing infrastructure, laboratory environments, vivarium and core facilities, and shared spaces. She illustrates the enabling swing-space strategy, cost-conscious decisions to stretch renovation dollars, key equipment and infrastructure upgrades, improvements in adjacencies, and the master planning framework that has positioned the facility for long-term flexibility. She relates key lessons learned and best practices for institutions facing the same occupied-renovation challenge.

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Don’t settle for “quick fix” renovations that can limit long-term performance! Relatively small, well-considered moves can transform a project from basic accommodation into a cohesive, forward-looking environment. Presenters use a series of STEM renovation case studies, including Brown University, to demonstrate the decision-making criteria that reconcile program, circulation, and identity to turn constrained existing buildings into cohesive, high-performing academic environments. They illustrate the results including modernized laboratories, spatial relationships fostering student collaboration, intuitive wayfinding that contributes to improved user experience, and facilities well-positioned to evolve as needs change.

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Most research universities carry an inventory of aging, mission-critical science and engineering buildings that no longer serve evolving programs and that hide big deferred maintenance liabilities. Drawing on precinct plans and renewal strategies developed for leading institutions, presenters synthesize the patterns that consistently drive successful outcomes. They deliver a streamlined, repeatable framework for assessing building viability—comparing reinvestment versus replacement, creating defensible cases for full rebuild, and aligning scope, cost, and phasing with long-term research goals. They provide a proven toolkit for creating condition assessments, decision matrices, and constrained-environment funding strategies. 

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As institutions weigh renovation against new construction, strategic reinvestment in aging facilities offers a more sustainable, cost-effective, and faster path forward — especially on historic campuses where preserving building stock is an institutional priority. Presenters draw on six renovation projects including from Boston University and Bowdoin College to examine how requirements are reshaping facility investment decisions. They share frameworks for evaluating renovation versus replacement, describe technical, logistical, and financial strategies for extending the life of spaces, and outline how targeted upgrades support faculty recruitment. They deliver key investment criteria and decision rationales for other institutions managing aging portfolios.

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The most unlikely existing spaces can become high-performing research environments when project drivers, existing conditions, and program priorities are aligned – what untapped value exists in your current portfolio? Presenters use multiple repurposing case studies to illustrate how vibration control, environmental stability, and phasing shape what is possible inside aging shells. They demonstrate how to perform rigorous evaluations including 3D scanning, condition assessment, and separating key requirements from "nice-to-have" to create a definitive programming strategy. They progress through construction-phase strategies for renovating older buildings without reliable as-builts: tactics for managing unforeseen conditions, controlling cost and schedule risk, and minimizing disruption inside occupied buildings throughout phased lab transformations and reactivation. 

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Two beloved but aging campus landmarks—Lehigh University's Clayton University Center and Wellesley College's Clapp Library—serve as case studies for deferred maintenance becoming a catalyst for transformation rather than a liability. Session leaders detail how each renewal worked entirely within the existing footprint, converting backlogged repairs and underused infrastructure into flexible, student-centered space. They demonstrate how adaptive reuse preserved architectural character while modernizing systems, and how reusing structure and embodied carbon advanced decarbonization goals without new construction. They share decision frameworks for phasing work in occupied buildings, sequencing infrastructure upgrades, and balancing program ambitions against the budget and schedule realities of complex renovations.

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Every renovation changes a building—but the most successful projects transform how an organization works. From workplace redesigns and campus consolidations to hybrid work environments and facility modernization, today's strategic space planners are expected to do more than deliver projects on time and within budget. They must align diverse stakeholders, communicate a compelling vision, and guide organizations through the human side of change. Katie Roberson explores how stakeholder engagement, strategic communication, and change management work together to build support, reduce resistance, and create workplaces that meet today's needs while preparing for tomorrow's challenges. She identifies critical components of strategies that navigate competing priorities, strengthen decision-making, and increase adoption of new spaces thus ensuring that renovation investments deliver lasting organizational value, not just updated facilities.

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See the full list of participating exhibitors and event hosts.

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Courtesy of Tradeline

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A flat, gray, unglamorous expense at the top of the building usually sits at the bottom of every capital priority list—until water finds the lobby or lab renovation below it. Don’t let that happen to your organization! A well-timed roof replacement is a force multiplier; a deferred one is a ticking clock on every downstream investment. In this session, presenters translate building science into business case: red flags that signal a roof is approaching end-of-life, financial and operational arguments that win against competing capital priorities, principles of moisture management, thermal performance and material compatibility that define "doing it right," and sequencing strategies that align roofing with broader campus capital plans.

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As the value proposition of physical space shifts, renovation programs must increasingly reconcile fixed building footprints with evolving work patterns. Margaret Serrato draws on a multi-phase pilot program at Georgia Tech, where a constrained urban campus tested workplace approaches in instrumented pilot spaces before committing to larger capital investments. She traces the process from department selection through two rounds of post-occupancy evaluation, examining what the data reveals about satisfaction, institutional goal alignment, and space efficiency within physical constraints. She maps the decisions that de-risk capital investment through evidence-based workplace strategy.

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Don’t settle for “quick fix” renovations that can limit long-term performance! Relatively small, well-considered moves can transform a project from basic accommodation into a cohesive, forward-looking environment. Presenters use a series of STEM renovation case studies, including Brown University, to demonstrate the decision-making criteria that reconcile program, circulation, and identity to turn constrained existing buildings into cohesive, high-performing academic environments. They illustrate the results including modernized laboratories, spatial relationships fostering student collaboration, intuitive wayfinding that contributes to improved user experience, and facilities well-positioned to evolve as needs change.

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This case study is a deep dive into how interdisciplinary collaboration from the start resulted in dramatic energy and carbon reductions for an existing Brutalist classroom building with historic designation. Presenters relate how the project team solved the challenge of delivering high-performance outcomes within the limited budget of a public project while maintaining the integrity of the architectural expression. They detail the iterative analysis that set up a former energy hog classroom building at UMass Dartmouth to achieve a significant 68% reduction in energy use intensity from 133 kBTU/sf/year to the predicted 40 kBTU/sf/year, and carbon savings of 63% with a customized bundle of strategies.

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Across higher education, institutions are rethinking how to modernize aging facilities without expanding their physical footprint. This session explores how comprehensive renovations— rather than new construction — can transform existing buildings into vibrant, efficient, and future-ready environments that meet the evolving expectations of today’s students. Through recent projects, Sarah Lappano demonstrates how revitalized dining, housing, and recreation facilities can maximize space utilization, enhance student engagement, and extend building life while dramatically improving operational performance. She highlights strategies for upgrading building systems, optimizing envelope performance, and aligning design solutions with long-term sustainability and maintenance goals. She provides insights into how adaptive reuse can deliver high-impact results that balance functionality, aesthetics, and institutional stewardship.

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As institutions weigh renovation against new construction, strategic reinvestment in aging facilities offers a more sustainable, cost-effective, and faster path forward — especially on historic campuses where preserving building stock is an institutional priority. Presenters draw on six renovation projects including from Boston University and Bowdoin College to examine how requirements are reshaping facility investment decisions. They share frameworks for evaluating renovation versus replacement, describe technical, logistical, and financial strategies for extending the life of spaces, and outline how targeted upgrades support faculty recruitment. They deliver key investment criteria and decision rationales for other institutions managing aging portfolios.

View session page