Insights
Jan 6, 2023 _ insights
Matt Plecity Tells a Tale of Two Planning Projects at SCUP National
Higher education institutions all face these common planning challenges: coming together to solve problems; enabling expansion to meet space demands; and connecting the campus with community and industry.
I recently attended the Society for College & University Planning’s (SCUP) National Conference in Long Beach to share how two new, high-profile buildings at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) addressed these issues. Along with brightspot strategy colleague, Elliot Felix and CMU Assistant Vice President and University Architect, Bob Reppe, we shared the story of how CMU’s Richard King Mellon Science Building and its Robotics Innovation Center came together.
Both buildings are not only situated at the frontiers of science and discovery, but they’re uniquely community and industry-facing projects. So, reviewing their history helped identify opportunities for effective interdisciplinary collaboration, the value of flexible programming for quickly evolving disciplines, and effective methods for stakeholder engagement.
To learn more about the planning strategies behind these projects, take a look at our presentation here.
Matthew Plecity, AIA, ASLA is a principal at GBBN. An architect with a landscape architecture background, Matt leverages his understanding of site and context to design buildings with strong relationships to their environments. As part of the leadership team for GBBN’s Higher Education Market, he regularly shares his insights into campus design and sustainability at regional, national, and international conferences. Matt loves collaborating with clients, colleagues, and consultants to build bold ideas like University of Pittsburgh’s Hillman Library renovation, Penn State Behrend’s Federal House, and Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s Library of Accessible Media for Pennsylvanians (LAMP).
