Innovation Center Design at Some of the Nation’s Most Innovative Universities

By Katherine Stone

According to a 2020 survey by ECMC Group and Vice Media, 74% of high school students believe that education should focus on developing real-world applicable skills, such as those used in science, business, technology, engineering, healthcare, and entrepreneurship. Trends in higher education also reflect students’ desires to start their career path while going to college. Students aren’t satisfied with simply going to class and learning theory – they want hands-on experiences and the opportunity to network in their field or perhaps even start their own companies before they graduate.

Brian Campa, Principal of Cooper Carry’s Higher Education and Science + Technology Studios suggests looking to Silicon Valley to understand why, especially the stories about how Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg went from dropouts to entrepreneurs to global game changers in their fields. This has changed the higher education landscape, leading universities to look for ways to attract top talent and ensure they can provide a value-added education experience.

Cooper Carry has led the design of several of these innovative spaces. The firm’s experience designing science and technology spaces for private firms, along with our experience in higher education, helps us understand exactly what these students will experience in the real world. Here is a brief tour of three college campuses featuring unique innovation centers that foster student and graduate creativity and technological acumen. ?

Creative Media Industries Institute

Over the last 15 years, TV shows like The Walking Dead and franchises like The Hunger Games and the Marvel Universe have led to an explosive expansion of the film and creative industry in Atlanta. Tax incentives across the state created the opportunity for growth, on top of already thriving local creative communities like the music industry. Students wanted the know-how necessary to be a part of this creative landscape, and universities wanted to provide qualified individuals to continue the expansion of the entertainment industry in the state.

In response to the resounding demand, Georgia State University (GSU) decided to create a state-of-the-art, technology-enhanced center where students could become the next generation of post-production talent, start their own companies, and create a network of connections in the industry. The answer was to adapt a former bank building into the Creative Media Industries Institute at GSU, which provides training in filmmaking, post-production technology, virtual and augmented reality, gaming, esports, animation, and much more. The institute opened in 2016.

“The university wanted the center to be iconic - a symbol of the institution's commitment to supporting the Georgia film industry and emerging student leaders in the digital industries,” says Brian Campa.

And iconic it is. As you step into the space, you are immediately drawn into the world of multimedia via programmable polycarbonate wall panels that alternate colors. There is also a massive 20- by 30-square-foot digital media wall where students can screen movies and present projects. The building faces Woodruff Park and is next to the streetcar route, with dense pedestrian circulation. This turns the screen into an indoor billboard for the heart of downtown Atlanta.

Click the link below to continue reading Cooper Carry’s Insights article - Innovation Center Design at Some of the Nation’s Most Innovative Universities by Katherine Stone, Vice President of Marketing and Branding Director.