Many universities and colleges have adopted courtyards as a means to facilitate recreational activities and create a space for students and faculty to relax. The right courtyard design ideas can help you build an outdoor area that meets your campus’s needs. Below, we look at the importance of having a courtyard on campus and how your college can go about designing an outdoor courtyard.
The Importance of Outdoor Courtyards
When searching for a college to attend, prospective students value peer interactions — they want to know there will be ample opportunity to meet new people and connect with their fellow students. Outdoor spaces like courtyards encourage social interactions, which is appealing to these students. Your college can gain a competitive advantage with outdoor learning spaces that encourage social interactions.
Courtyards also have a positive impact on student mental health. A greenspace provides a peaceful space for students to rest and relax between classes. Studies have shown that green spaces can significantly improve student mental health, which affects their academic performance.
Learning outside can have a positive effect on student success — having lectures outside helps to improve mood, lower student stress levels and promote more peer support. These spaces also allow educators to take on flexible learning approaches they can’t do indoors, helping them create a multi-faceted learning experience for students.
Factors to Consider When Designing a Campus Courtyard
When designing a college quad, consider how students, faculty and visitors will use the space. Whether you plan to create a space for learning or a spot for relaxing after class, you’ll need to think about how you can meet student and faculty needs with the right layout, furniture and amenities. The space should be versatile to get the most out of it.
Furniture
If your college plans to use the courtyard as an educational space, consider outfitting it with flexible, courtyard outdoor furniture or furniture that adapts well to group activities or individual work, so it can facilitate discussions, engagement and collaboration. Consider multipurpose areas that allow for different uses and purposes. For example, one area might have specific seating for outdoor lectures, and another area could feature picnic tables for eating.
Accessibility
Additionally, your courtyard must be accessible. It should be located next to a building or near a popular walkway to generate the most use. For example, placing the courtyard outside of a dining hall can encourage students to grab food and eat it there. Creating accessibility also means the courtyard should accommodate students of all abilities, such as those who may use mobility devices.
Branding
Your branding and university story should be incorporated across your campus, including outdoor spaces like the courtyard. You can incorporate elements such as your college colors, mascot, logo and other important symbols. Having a well-branded campus has the following benefits:
- Competitive advantage: Highlight what it is about your brand that sets you apart from other colleges.
- Loyalty: A strong brand leads to higher brand recognition, encouraging student commitment. When students feel a strong connection to their college, they’re more likely to become involved in college activities and become loyal alumni.
- Credibility: When you have a strong brand, it boosts your credibility. You can help students to feel confident in their investment by enhancing your college’s credibility.
Landscaping
Landscaping plays an important role in courtyards, helping create a beautiful environment. Doing a site survey and evaluating the environmental conditions will help you to choose the suitable foliage.
When selecting plants, consider their size, shape, density, root mass, texture and growth rate. Choose plants based on their ability to create a desired functional effect and thrive in the space. Plants and trees will affect your outdoor spaces in the following ways:
- Climate control: Plants help provide shade and windbreaks to block cold air or create a funnel for cool air in warm weather. With the right landscaping, you can construct a comfortable outdoor courtyard area that people will want to spend hours in.
- Visual control: Trees can help block unwanted views such as parking lots or utilities. They can also make a courtyard more private for students who want a peaceful place to study. Taller trees can block off the sun and reduce the glare in the courtyard.
- Physical control: You can use plants to section off areas in your courtyard and create barriers for different spaces. Plants also come in handy when you need to direct the flow of foot traffic. You can use them to line pathways so people know where to go.
- Erosion and water control: Plants help prevent erosion by breaking the impact of heavy rainfall on the ground. The rough twigs and bark on trees also help slow the water falling to the ground. The fibrous roots near the surface of the ground trap and retain soil.
- Noise and odor control: If you’re worried about noise or odor affecting the courtyard, you can strategically use plants to control those factors. The effectiveness of the plants will depend on their height, density and location.
Alongside plants, a water feature can have a soothing effect in a courtyard. In hot, arid climates with less moisture content in the air, a water feature can help you add moisture and make the space more comfortable. You can have a fountain, pond, cascade or any other water feature. Fountains are common in courtyards because of the calming effect they add to the landscape.
What Are the Different Types of Courtyards?
While you can create a more general space that accommodates many uses, you may be interested in building a quad or courtyard that serves a specific purpose. There are a few types of courtyards for you to consider for courtyard design ideas.
Educational Courtyards
An outdoor educational space can help enhance students’ educational experience. There are various configurations to choose from, such as an outdoor classroom complete with whiteboards and desks or something more natural, such as a community garden or conservatory.
This type of space allows faculty to take lessons outside or gives students the opportunity to engage with structured learning tools. When designing an outdoor classroom, you’ll want to consider students’ different learning styles and personalities:
- Visual learners: These students learn best when a lecturer presents images, diagrams or charts they can engage with during lectures.
- Auditory learners: These learners respond best when they hear lectures or speeches. They may also be musically inclined.
- Verbal learners: Students who prefer verbal learning styles tend to have expansive vocabularies. They usually enjoy reading and writing and can express themselves well through writing essays. They may also excel in debate, speechwriting and journalism.
- Physical learners: These students tend to be natural athletes who prefer to learn by doing. They value touch and feel and learn best through hands-on educational experiences.
By creating a functional and social learning space, you can cater to different learning styles.
Recreational Courtyards
Courtyards can also serve as a recreational space for students. These courtyards can provide enough area and a safe environment to host college events, such as setting up booths for college club fairs. If the location is large and open, they can also engage in activities such as playing football or frisbee.
Quiet Courtyards
A quiet courtyard is a perfect space for students to enjoy peace and downtime in between lectures. Being stuck indoors for long periods can be stressful. A calm courtyard creates a space where students can enjoy fresh air, connect with one another, read or meditate away from the distractions of campus life.
Step-by-Step Guide to Designing a College Courtyard
These steps can help you get started with designing your college courtyard.
1. Identify the Purpose of the Courtyard
The first step is to understand what purpose the courtyard will serve. Do you want it to be an educational space where professors can host outdoor lectures, or is it meant to be a relaxing spot for students to socialize? The function will inform how you design the layout and choose the type of furniture you use in the space.
2. Plan the Layout and Design Elements
When you’re planning the layout of your courtyard, finding the right location is essential. Strategically place your courtyard where it can be easily accessible to faculty, learners and visitors. Evaluate the current flow of foot traffic to understand what location would be easily reachable. Places that generally receive a lot of foot traffic include community spaces such as dormitories, cafeterias and educational buildings.
3. Involve Stakeholders in the Planning Process
How you design a courtyard will largely depend on the needs of the campus population. Survey campus students and faculties to understand what they need, what’s currently working in outdoor spaces and what you can do to improve their experience outdoors. The school environment is an important factor in students’ education and experience on campus. Ask them about the environment, what spaces they use, what spaces they don’t use and why.
Using the survey, you can identify the campus’s strengths and weaknesses. It’ll also help to identify what your students value in a campus, like independent work areas or a place to engage in physical exercise. Your campus weaknesses will show you what is currently lacking and what students don’t need. You can use information from the survey to do the following:
- Incorporate campus strengths into your outdoor space
- Avoid integrating facilities and amenities students don’t need
- Provide a solution for what your population wants
Even once you’ve built the courtyard, continue to survey the campus population to understand whether the courtyard is meeting their needs. You can make periodic changes along the way to shape the space accordingly.
4. Select Suitable Plants, Furniture and Amenities
The most important part of designing your courtyard is building it. Consider the following design elements you can add to your space:
- Artwork: You can add sculptures and other artwork to add personality and visual interest to the space.
- Historic features: You can use a courtyard to showcase the history of the college. For example, you can have memorial benches commemorating past donors. You can also showcase past achievements of students through pictures of key moments, adding a sense of pride to the space.
- Flexible furniture: Consider adding flexible furniture that students can use for different functions. Picnic tables, game tables and benches can help serve different purposes.
- Waste bins: Make sure your courtyard has the essentials, such as trash and recycling receptacles, so students can keep the space clean.
- Access points: Your courtyard should include well-thought-out access points, pathways and bike loops, making it easy for students to navigate the square.
- Plants and water features: Landscaping elements help enhance the beauty of your courtyard and create a comfortable environment for users.
- Electronics: If you intend to design the courtyard as an educational space, consider outlets and internet connection to ensure lessons run seamlessly.
- Branding: Strategically add college branding throughout the space in the form of college colors, the logo and other important symbols.
5. Add Signage and Visual Indicators
Signage is important on campus, especially for new students and visitors. Directional guides will help tell people where to find the courtyard quickly and easily. Informational signage will also help students and faculty understand the purpose of the courtyard and tell them how they can use and interact with the space to avoid any confusion and misuse.
Implement Protective Shade Solutions in Your Courtyard With USA Shade
Today, courtyards play an important role in intellectual exchange and informal connections between students and faculty. They also provide a safe space for students to enjoy recreation and the outdoors. From an administrative perspective, these spaces offer an opportunity to enhance the visual appeal of your campus with attractive landscaping.
At USA Shade, we can help your college or university outfit courtyards with protective shades. Whether you plan to create outdoor spaces that facilitate learning or promote socialization and recreation, our team is here to help you make your campus more comfortable by providing high-quality shade solutions. Our array of shade structures can meet your project’s needs, providing visual appeal while protecting visitors from the weather.
USA Shade has decades of experience designing shade structures to seamlessly fit spaces like yours. Explore our shade options and see how we’ve assisted colleges and universities in the past. To design your custom shade solution, speak with an expert today!
