• Gordian’s 13th annual��State of Facilities in Higher Education��report puts the deferred capital renewal backlog at��$156 per gross square foot, up��8%��over the past year.����

• The report says capital investment funding for existing buildings is��73.5%��of��what’s��needed to prevent further backlog growth, with operating budgets��18.5%��below target.����

• Staffing pressure is also rising: the report says custodial coverage responsibilities are up��27% since 2007, with public institutions seeing steeper increases than private institutions.����

• Gordian points to strategic reinvestment,��benchmarking��and proactive maintenance as levers to stabilize backlogs and support long-term planning.����

GREENVILLE, S.C. —��Deferred capital renewal needs at North American colleges and universities climbed to��$156 per gross square foot, an��8%��year-over-year increase, according to Gordian’s latest��State of Facilities in Higher Education��report.����

The��Greenville, S.C.-headquartered company��said the data underscores continued underinvestment in existing buildings and warned that, without meaningful reinvestment, deferred needs are likely to continue rising.����

Gordian’s 13th annual report frames the sector’s growing backlog as the result of persistent funding gaps colliding with institutional change. The company said capital investment funding for existing buildings is at��73.5%��of what is��required��to keep deferred needs from expanding, and that operating budgets��remain��18.5%��below target levels.����

“This year’s findings reinforce what we hear daily from leaders across the higher education sector: without sustained and strategic reinvestment, institutions risk deeper operational challenges,” said Arul Elumalai,��President of Gordian, in a statement. “Our goal with this report is to equip campus decision-makers with the clear, data-driven insights they need to prioritize the right actions now.”����

Gordian said the analysis draws on its database of��43,000 campus buildings��representing��1.1 billion gross square feet��of space, which it uses to benchmark facilities conditions and spending patterns across North American higher education.����

Alongside capital constraints, the report also points to workforce strain. Gordian said the amount of space each custodian��is responsible for��has increased��27% since 2007, with larger jumps reported at public institutions compared with private ones.����

The report’s findings also highlight how structural underinvestment and rising deferred maintenance can restrict campus flexibility and push institutions toward reactive—often costlier—facility management, Gordian said. As a path forward, the company said campuses can use data-driven benchmarking, proactive maintenance��practices��and strategic reinvestment to help stabilize backlog growth and support long-term decision-making.����

“While campuses face continued pressure, there is genuine opportunity ahead,” said Pete Zuraw,��Vice��President of��Market��Strategy and��Development for Gordian, in a statement. “With reliable data and guidance from trusted industry partners, institutional leaders can make informed decisions that strengthen their facilities and position them for long-term resilience.”��

Gordian said it has published the report for more than a decade and collaborates with higher education societies including APPA, NACUBO and SCUP, adding that the report includes survey data and commentary from higher education leaders.����

This article is based on reporting originally published by Gordian on��April 8, 2026.��

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What You Need to Know��

• Gordon College announced plans for the Adams Center for Music, a new performance hall and expansion of its music facilities in Wenham, Massachusetts.����

• The project is supported by a planned gift from Stephen and Denise Adams, according to the college.����

• The college said it expects to break ground in summer 2026 and open the center in fall 2028.����

• Planned features include a 500-seat performance hall, rehearsal and education spaces, and design elements emphasizing transparency and community connection.����

Learn More��

Gordon College announced plans for the Adams Center for Music, a new performance venue and expansion intended to unify the college’s music programs in a single facility for the first time.����

The Wenham,��Massachusetts-based��college��said the project—its most significant building effort since the Ken Olsen Science Center opened in 2008—will be made possible by a planned gift from arts and higher-education supporters Stephen and Denise Adams.����

Under the current plan, Gordon said construction will start in summer 2026, with an opening targeted for fall 2028. The Adams Center for Music will adjoin the existing Phillips Music Center and is expected to bring choral and instrumental ensembles and other music programs into one��consolidated��location.����

“This project reflects Gordon’s commitment to investing in the arts and expanding the reach and reputation of our music program,” said Gordon College President Michael D. Hammond, according to an article from Gordon College.����

The college said Epstein Joslin + Picardy Architects will design the building. Plans call for performance and rehearsal space, including a 500-seat performance hall, a large ensemble rehearsal room and dedicated areas for choral and music education, along with views of A. J. Gordon Memorial Chapel and the campus landscape.����

The announcement described “striking glass apertures” along campus pathways that will provide sightlines into key rehearsal and performance areas, a choice the college framed as a symbol of transparency and connection. It also said the performance hall will use wrap-around seating to create an immersive, communal experience, and that the stage will be built to accommodate programming ranging from large��choral-orchestral��works to chamber music.����

“This is more than a building; it is a catalyst for transformation,” said Dr. Sarita Kwok, dean of the Adams School of Music and the Arts, according to an article from Gordon College.����

Architect Alan Joslin, founding principal of Epstein Joslin + Picardy Architects, said the building’s “most eye-catching features” will be its “transparency and communal shaping,” with extensive use of glass intended as an invitation to engage with the arts.��

Denise Adams said the planned facility reflects a belief that music deserves purpose-built environments. “This building reflects Stephen’s and my belief that music deserves spaces designed with the same care and intentionality as the art itself,” she said, according to an article from Gordon College.����

Gordon also pointed to the Adams family’s history of investing in music education and positioned the project as part of a broader vision for arts programming and community engagement.��

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By Benjamin Urban����

As the��higher��education landscape��evolves, traditional classrooms��are��struggling��to keep up.��The rising demand for personalized learning��spaces��and��integrated educational technologies��is��redefining how and where learning happens. These changes are��prompting��institutions to reconsider the environments in which learning takes place.����

Incoming students expect learning environments that mirror the flexibility and interactivity of the world they live in. Institutions are being challenged to design spaces that support collaboration, experiential learning, and digital engagement.��Facilities must balance both physical and��digital��needs that foster connection and��innovation��in equal measure.��This puts agility��at a premium.������

Against this backdrop,��modular prefabricated construction offers��a powerful solution.��It��delivers��the��speed, adaptability, and technology integration that today’s��higher education��spaces��demand.��

Traditional��campus facilities, with fixed layouts and��limited��flexibility, no longer��reflect��the��way students��learn��or faculty teach.��To foster more inclusive, collaborative, and technology-driven spaces, institutions are increasingly embracing modular methods that can evolve with academic and functional needs.��

Adapting Infrastructure for Evolving Education��

Students are longer just digital natives. They have grown accustomed to seamless experiential integrations built��directly into their environments. This is reflected in learning modalities as higher education institutions��combine��synchronous and asynchronous courses, remote and in-person��instruction,��and��collaborative and��independent coursework.��

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to education. Therefore, we cannot expect a one-size-fits-all approach to facility design to suffice.����

Flexible��classroom spaces��are��essential��to supporting��a range of teaching methods, from��group collaboration��to��hybrid learning. As educators��adapt��to meet students where they are, the physical space must��evolve alongside them.����

Traditional buildings, constrained by��drywall��and hardwired systems,��can’t��easily accommodate��new layouts or technological infrastructure without��disruption and added cost.��Modular construction��introduces��a��more agile��approach. Movable walls,��integrated��power, and scalable room configurations��enable��institutions to reconfigure classrooms quickly and��efficiently.����

At the��,��a former campus pub��was reimagined��into a cutting-edge educational hub using modular construction. The pub was repurposed into high-tech classrooms using modular pods��built��for seamless��plug-and-play technology integration. These learning spaces are designed to��serve students today and��evolve��for quick��future��adjustments with minimal disruption.��

This type of responsiveness is essential in educational planning.��Pedagogy changes.��Student��needs��change. Learning environments need to keep pace.��The rapid evolution of artificial intelligence, virtual labs, and real-time collaborative platforms��demand infrastructure��that��accommodates��continuous��adjustments.��Modular��solutions allow��institutions��to��stay ahead without sacrificing instructional time or��impacting��budgets.��

Building Faster Without Compromise��

Beyond flexibility, one of the most compelling advantages of modular construction is��the speed��of delivery.��Simply put, higher-ed institutions cannot afford lengthy renovations that take facilities offline for the students that��depend on them.��Traditional construction timelines often stretch months or��longer, limiting a university’s ability to respond to enrollment trends or evolving technology.��In contrast, modular interiors built off-site in controlled environments can dramatically shorten construction timelines.��

This was the case at��, where the Berkeley Artificial Intelligence Research Lab��required rapid��expansion to support��the growing program.��Using��modular prefabricated construction, a 26,000��square��foot research lab was��built��in just three months, fully assembled and equipped with integrated technology to power advanced research.��

The��accelerated timeline allowed researchers to move in and continue their work without interruption. More importantly, the lab’s modular design ensures it can evolve easily as programs expand or technology advances��without the need for large-scale reconstruction. For institutions like UC Berkeley, this agility��is��invaluable.��

The Next Generation of Learning Spaces��

As educational institutions prepare for the next wave of transformation, the requirements for learning spaces are��coming into sharper focus.��Yes, they must be flexible, future-ready, and faster��to build.��But importantly, these spaces need to integrate��emerging technologies.��Elements like interactive displays and AI-enabled learning tools��are becoming��table stakes��today and��will��likely require��continuous updating.����

Examples��like��the University of��the Fraser��Valley and UC Berkeley��demonstrate��how modular construction can��deliver��seamless technology��integration in higher education.��Integrated infrastructure for data, power, and audiovisual systems can be embedded directly into prefabricated components, creating digital-first spaces that are flexible,��efficient��and ready to evolve.����

Modular construction answers this call in ways that��conventional��construction��methods cannot.��With plug-and-play functionality that allows technology to be updated or expanded with minimal disruption, modular design provides the resilient foundation needed to support continuous innovation in teaching and research.��

Conclusion����

Modular prefabricated��construction is��reshaping the foundation of how learning environments are conceived and constructed. As campuses expand and��methods��evolve, the institutions that��invest in��adaptable infrastructure will define the next era of higher education.����

In a market where speed, technology, and flexibility compete to��attract, teach, and empower future students, modular construction delivers the operational��agility��and long-term value institutions need to stay ahead.��

Benjamin Urban is Chief Executive Officer for DIRTT.��

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By Megan Marsh

As education methods and types of spaces evolve, CO Architects is continually exploring emerging trends shaping the future of interiors in higher education. Our challenge as architects and interior designers is to create university environments that foster community, places that support collaboration, encourage interactions among people with varying points of view and forge human bonds. These key trends are important design elements shaping the future of higher education.

1. Flexibility

In an era where everyone must do more with less, flexible design solutions ensure that universities utilize spaces to their full potential. Flexible spaces and furniture that adapt to the future of education are a growing trend. Clients are also increasingly requesting agile spaces that are equipped to respond to various technologies and experiential needs. Many of our projects include movable partitions that allow classrooms to expand as well as large gathering areas that can be reconfigured to host various event types and group sizes, such as lectures, graduation ceremonies and TED Talks.

Designers are now combining business, education, and leisure in blended-use spaces instead of programming them separately for work or gathering. Co-mingling increases occupancy through varying uses throughout the day. Movable, versatile furniture is a vital aspect of space flexibility. Foldable and stackable furniture with integrated storage allows for quick reconfiguration for different activities.

2. Tech-Enabled Spaces

A corollary of flexible design is integrating current technology into campuses for both new buildings and modernizations of older ones to ensure longevity and relevancy. Examples include integrating Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) to enrich students’ campus and education experiences. The evolution of higher education design to focus on technology-driven learning environments as technology-enhanced spaces like AR and VR labs help make complex concepts easier to understand.

Other features routinely included are interactive smartboards, video-conferencing tools and other collaborative software as well as podcast rooms and recording studios for professors to professionally record lectures for hybrid learning, meeting current teaching needs but also accelerating new teaching methodologies.

3. Neurodiversity

Recognizing that students learn in a wide variety of ways, universities are becoming more accommodating to a range of cognitive and sensory preferences. Designs ensure that a choice of sensory environments is provided, in order to cater to diverse learning styles and needs. This can include a variety of study, learning and meeting environments, providing dimmable lighting and a range of color palettes. Collaboration areas vary from brighter rooms with plenty of natural light, to darker rooms with soft lighting as well as a range of visual and acoustical privacy elements. A mix of furniture types adds additional choices, allowing students to choose based on how they’re feeling at any given time.

4. Community-Fostering

The overall square footage in the education sector has remained relatively stable. However, space allocation has shifted toward slightly smaller private offices for faculty and an increase in flexible, shared workspaces or hybrid work models for faculty and staff.

This decrease in private workspaces is offset by a significant increase in public and community-life spaces, such as larger common areas, student lounges, collaboration zones and wellness facilities. Spaces that prioritize social interaction, support student well-being, and enhance campus life reflect a shift toward more communal, multi-functional environments within educational buildings.

5. Local Outreach

Higher education design increasingly considers and embraces the neighboring community. Multi-modal lecture spaces are often designed to also host community events, drawing residents onto campuses. Design details regularly embrace local influences and neighborhood history. Art installations often draw inspiration from the site surroundings and sometimes showcase the work of local artisans.

Visit the to see how wellness, outdoor learning spaces and sustainability are also shaping the future of higher education.

Megan Marsh is a senior interior designer and senior associate in the Los Angeles office of CO Architects.

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