SCUP 2025 Annual Conference

Repopulating the Campus Core through Transformative Renovation

Erik Tellander | Monday 7.14.2025

WRA Associate Principal Erik Tellander shared a panel with Mousam Adcock, Sapna Marfatia, and Mark Francis to discuss how creating new academic spaces at the campus perimeter significantly dilutes activities at the campus core. Together they argued that integrated strategic planning can transform existing infrastructure to revitalize, densify, and reconnect a campus for the future. Through two campuses—Stanford and Northwestern Universities—they explored how planning transformative renovation projects can reinvigorate academic activities, bring people back to the campus core, and connect to the broader campus community. The presenters shared strategies to engage stakeholders, plan for capacity and growth, integrate sustainability goals, revitalize campus historic resources, and connect these efforts to an institution’s pedagogic goals.

Mousam Adcock, AIA, Principal at CAW Architects

Sapna Marfatia, Campus Preservation Architect, Director of Architecture, Planning and Design at Stanford University

Mark Francis, Associate Provost for Administration, Finance and Facilities at Northwestern University

To Build or Not to Build? Investment Strategies in University Buildings

Sindu Meier + Erik Tellander | Tuesday 7.15.2025

Together with Joanne Brown and Sapna Marfatia, WRA Associate Principals Erik Tellander and Sindu Meier discussed issues that leader universities face when choosing to renovate an existing building or build a new structure on a university campus. There are many issues schools need to consider when starting a project on an existing campus: cost, taking a building offline/swing space, infrastructure investment in an existing vs. new building, competition with institutional peers, historic significance of the building, addressing issues of today’s energy codes/needs and accessibility. The group led a robust conversation and engaged the audience who were primarily university planners and higher education architects.

Joanne Brown, AIA, NCIDQ, ASID, Assistant Director, Planning and Design, Campus Planning & Facilities Management at Case Western Reserve University

Sapna Marfatia, Campus Preservation Architect, Director of Architecture, Planning and Design at Stanford University