Conference Program

A central problem in university planning lies in the limited involvement of students and other user groups. Long planning cycles, institutional hierarchies, disciplinary compartmentalization, and the indeterminacy of future needs often hinder meaningful participation. Spatial planning risks reproducing hierarchical structures and traditional seminar rooms shaped by surveillance, standardization, and fixed seating arrangements rather than enabling democratic agency and student-centred learning.

Our guiding question is therefore: How can universities become “future-fit” by fostering permeability both in their planning processes and in their architectural outcomes? How can dialogical formats and participatory practices contribute to creating changeable, adaptable educational landscapes?

Drawing on Richard Sennett’s concept of porous boundaries and theories of dialogical education (e.g., Rogers’ notion of self-actualization, Roger 1983), we argue that permeability must first be cultivated socially before it can manifest architecturally. Porous educational landscapes emerge through dialogical cultures that enable interdisciplinary collaboration and empower those affected by spatial decisions. Moving from participation as consultation toward participation as dialogue transforms planning into a co-creative learning process.

These theoretical reflections are grounded in interconnected projects such as LEA – Learning Environment Applications, 2020 - 2023 and HESD – Higher Education Space Development, 2024 – 2026 at the university of teacher education in Lucerne. Within the own Campus development for the future location of Lucerne University of Teacher Education in Switzerland we supported the implementation of a structured participation concept. Student participation was embedded into credited workshops. Inspired by Barcamp formats and structured through Ruth Cohn’s (1984) Theme-Centered Interaction model, dialogical workshops linked individual needs, social interaction, and spatial design questions. A key methodological innovation was the “Social Dimensions Mapping” approach, combining organizational constellation methods (MAST) with group-dynamic models of proximity/distance and continuity/change (Berdelmann et al 2016, 113-116).

Findings from our ongoing HESD research project on the systematic analysis of teaching and learning space development in Switzerland, Germany, and Denmark complement this participatory work. Using videography, document analysis, and interviews, we examined innovative didactic–spatial configurations such as inquiry-based learning workshops, active-learning seminar rooms, and interdisciplinary innovation labs. Success factors identified in the study were directly integrated into the co-development of open teaching and learning areas at PH Lucerne and PH Schaffhausen.

Taken together, these projects demonstrate that porous educational landscapes are not merely architectural outcomes but the result of dialogical planning cultures, empirical analysis, and iterative co-design. We therefore propose conceiving the university as a heterogeneous and evolving educational landscape characterized by spatial diversity, adaptability, and continuous transformation.