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To encourage students to walk, use stairs and spend time with one another, design those choices into the campus circulation system. Put attractive stairs where people naturally enter, make social and quiet spaces visible along everyday routes, provide both direct and engaging outdoor paths, and protect busy walks from local weather. Treat universal accessibility as a requirement from the first sketch, not as a later correction.
These recommendations come from HMC Architects’ “Encourage Student Wellness by Incorporating Active Design Into College Campus Architecture,” published August 15, 2018, with a matching Building Design + Construction publication dated August 24, 2018. HMC presents design rationale and project examples rather than a measured study of wellness outcomes, so the guidance below describes intended opportunities and practical implementation—not guaranteed behavioral or health effects.
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What active design means on a college campus
HMC Architects uses “active design” broadly. It includes architectural and landscape decisions intended to support physical, mental and social wellness. Movement is one part: stairs, walkable routes and bicycle access can make activity a convenient by-product of getting to class. The other part is the quality of the places students encounter. Quiet areas for decompression, communal rooms for conversation and outdoor settings that invite people to pause can support mental and social connection.
This is a choice architecture, not a mandate. HMC’s central point is that a campus cannot force students to be active, but it can make activity easier to notice, reach and enjoy. In the firm’s words: “While you can’t force students to increase their physical activity, you can guide their behavior through creative, deliberate design.” The statement is a design principle, not a quantified claim about student outcomes.
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For administrators and facilities teams, the useful question is practical: where do students already travel, wait and gather, and how can those places offer a comfortable, accessible alternative to a sedentary or car-dependent trip?
Make stair use convenient, visible and socially useful
Place stairs on the natural arrival path
HMC recommends locating stairs close to building entrances so students can find them without searching. A stair hidden behind a service corridor competes poorly with a prominent elevator. During early planning, map the approach from sidewalks, residence halls, transit stops and drop-off areas; then position the stair where that approach meets the building. The objective is a short, obvious decision at the point of entry.
Give the stair an inviting visual identity
Visibility does not require expensive technology. HMC suggests treatments such as bright paint and wall art to make a stairwell appealing and legible. Daylight, clear sightlines and a generous landing can reinforce the same message, provided fire, egress, acoustics and code requirements are met. Graphics should help users understand where the stair goes and how it connects to upper floors rather than functioning as decoration alone.
Add reasons to linger
A stair can become part of campus life when it connects to a useful communal space. HMC cites Cal Poly Pomona’s residence-hall example: communal stairway lounges on the first three floors. HMC describes these lounges as popular places for interaction or relaxation and says they make taking the stairs attractive. That is the architect’s account of the project, not an independent evaluation or a measured comparison with elevator use. The transferable idea is to pair circulation with a legitimate social or restorative destination—seating, a study perch, a view or a shared lounge—without narrowing the required travel path.
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Design outdoor routes around real movement patterns
Observe how people actually walk
Before drawing new paths, study desire lines: worn grass, shortcuts between residence halls and classrooms, queues at entrances, and the routes students choose when they are late. HMC advises examining campus walkability and actual pedestrian routes rather than assuming the formal sidewalk network describes daily behavior. A short observation period at different class-change times can reveal conflicts with service vehicles, bottlenecks and routes that feel unsafe or unpleasant.
Offer an engaging route and a direct route
HMC recommends interesting paths near community spaces, sculptures and gardens while preserving a direct option for people in a hurry. These routes serve different needs. The direct path protects time-sensitive trips, mobility-device users who need predictable grades and surfaces, and anyone carrying equipment. The engaging path can provide a slower alternative with places to pause. Signage and a clear visual connection between destinations let students choose without guessing the travel time.
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Design for the local climate
Weather can determine whether an outdoor route is usable. HMC gives tree shade as an example for hot settings and overhead coverage where rain and cold are common. Select the response based on local exposure, seasonal conditions and maintenance capacity. Shade trees need soil volume, irrigation planning and a species appropriate to the site; canopies and covered walks need structural, drainage, lighting and snow or wind considerations where applicable. A weather strategy should protect the busiest links first, not only the most scenic spaces.
Connect paths to green and active destinations
Routes beside green spaces and athletic fields can expose students to outdoor activity as part of an ordinary trip. Position benches, overlooks or small gathering areas where they do not obstruct circulation. Keep planting edges, lighting and drainage maintained so that an appealing route remains comfortable after storms and during evening use.
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Use the site plan to replace unnecessary car trips
HMC’s Cuyamaca College example combines several active-design moves. The project uses a curbside drop-off plaza and new bicycle racks instead of a traditional parking lot, along with green spaces, walkways and rooftop gardens. The example illustrates how arrival, bicycle storage and landscape can be planned as one system rather than as separate amenities. It does not establish that the arrangement increased cycling or improved wellness.
On another campus, a drop-off plaza may be appropriate at one edge of a building while parking remains necessary elsewhere. The planning test is whether the arrival sequence makes walking, transit or cycling practical for the trips the campus is trying to shift. Place bicycle racks near visible, well-lit entrances and on an accessible route, while keeping loading, fire access and pedestrian movement clear. A rack is an illustrative facility element, not a specification for every site.
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Make universal accessibility part of the active-design brief
HMC states that active design must consider people of all physical abilities and calls universal accessibility key to wellness for all students. A stair-focused concept therefore cannot be the only route. Every destination should have an equivalent, dignified accessible path with manageable slopes, stable surfaces, adequate width, rest opportunities where needed, and clear wayfinding. Apply the accessibility requirements that govern the project’s jurisdiction and building type, then have an accessibility professional review the complete route—not just the entrance.
Review sensory and cognitive experience as well. Glare, confusing intersections, excessive noise, poor contrast or an abrupt change in surface can make a route difficult even when its dimensions comply. Provide seating without forcing users into the main travel lane, and maintain lighting and signs so that the route remains legible after dark. Include students and staff with varied disabilities in design reviews; their experience can identify barriers that drawings do not show.
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A practical planning process for an active campus
- Define the everyday trips. List the highest-volume journeys among residence halls, classrooms, dining, libraries, recreation, transit and parking. Note which are time-sensitive and which allow a slower alternative.
- Map existing behavior. Observe pedestrian and bicycle movement during class changes, evenings and poor weather. Record shortcuts, conflicts, elevator queues, unused stairs, missing shade and places where people already gather.
- Set inclusive performance goals. Require a direct route and an engaging option where the site allows; require equivalent accessible access, weather response, lighting, wayfinding and maintainable landscape. Goals should be specific enough to check during design review.
- Test building entries and vertical circulation. Place stairs, elevators and ramps on a coordinated arrival diagram. Check sightlines from the approach, travel distance, egress, security, acoustics and the possibility of a social landing or lounge.
- Lay out the outdoor network. Connect the observed desire lines first. Add gardens, art, athletic edges or gathering points without creating dead ends, conflicts with service traffic or inaccessible detours.
- Resolve climate and drainage details. Choose shade trees, canopies, wind protection, snow strategy, lighting and stormwater measures for the local conditions. Confirm who will maintain each element and at what frequency.
- Review with users and authorities. Invite students, disability-resource staff, public-safety personnel, operations staff and code officials to review a physical or digital walk-through. Revise before construction documents are complete.
- Commission and maintain. Verify signs, lighting, door hardware, path surfaces, furniture clearances and bicycle facilities on site. Assign responsibility for pruning, repairs, cleaning, snow or leaf removal and replacement planting.
Compare design choices by the decision that matters
Active design does not mean choosing the longest or most elaborate route. Use the following comparison when evaluating alternatives; the axes synthesize HMC’s stated considerations and practical campus constraints, not a formal scoring system validated by a study.
| Design choice | Strength | Risk or trade-off | Questions for the project team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct pedestrian route | Fast, predictable access for class changes and mobility-device users | May offer little shade, interest or social space | Is the surface accessible, well lit and protected at the busiest times? |
| Engaging route by gardens, art or community spaces | Creates opportunities to pause, encounter others and experience landscape | Can be longer or less convenient | Is a direct alternative still visible and available? |
| Open-air walkway | Lower enclosure and potentially simpler construction | Heat, rain, wind or cold may reduce use | What local weather occurs on the route, and who maintains shade or drainage? |
| Covered walkway or entry canopy | More consistent protection in difficult weather | Adds structure, drainage, lighting and maintenance requirements | Does coverage protect the actual desire line rather than an unused detour? |
| Prominent stair with communal lounge | Combines vertical movement with a social or restorative destination | Needs careful egress, acoustics, supervision and cleaning | Can the lounge remain useful without blocking circulation or compromising safety? |
Plan bicycle facilities as infrastructure, not decoration
If a campus follows the Cuyamaca College example and adds bicycle racks, treat procurement as a site-engineering decision. Confirm the number and type of bicycles expected, rack spacing, anchoring, pavement and drainage, lighting, surveillance, weather exposure and proximity to an accessible entrance. Coordinate with fire lanes, utilities, snow storage and landscape roots. Ask operations staff how damaged racks, abandoned bicycles and surface wear will be handled. HMC names no product, model or purchasing specification, so a retail rack should never be assumed suitable without this review.
What the available evidence can—and cannot—show
The HMC article is a professional design recommendation with project examples. It does not report a study design, baseline, control group, named statistic or quantified change in student activity, social connection or wellness. The Cal Poly Pomona and Cuyamaca descriptions demonstrate ways to apply the ideas; they are not proof that a particular feature caused a result. Administrators should therefore describe expected benefits as opportunities or intended effects.
A campus that wants to evaluate its own investment can establish a baseline before construction and document outcomes afterward, such as stair and elevator counts, pedestrian volumes, bicycle-rack occupancy, route use in different weather, lounge occupancy, accessibility complaints and student-reported sense of belonging. Keep methods consistent and protect privacy. Those measurements would be local evidence, not evidence supplied by HMC’s 2018 article.
Who developed the guidance
The original HMC Architects article identifies James Sink as its Design Principal and Higher Education Practice Leader. His 2018 biography states that he had 25 years of experience in higher education design at that time; this is a historical biography claim, not a current tenure figure. Building Design + Construction published a matching version on August 24, 2018, credited to HMC Architects.
Implementation checklist for campus teams
- Stairs are easy to see from principal entrances and connect to useful destinations.
- Elevator, stair, ramp and accessible-route decisions are coordinated rather than competing.
- Communal and quiet spaces are visible, comfortable and acoustically appropriate.
- Outdoor paths reflect observed desire lines and include both direct and engaging options where feasible.
- Shade, overhead protection or other climate responses match local weather and maintenance capacity.
- Green spaces, art, athletic edges and rooftop gardens support the route without creating barriers.
- Bicycle racks, drop-off areas, service access and fire routes are integrated safely.
- Students with varied physical, sensory and cognitive abilities have reviewed the experience.
- Operations staff have budgets, schedules and responsibilities for landscape, lighting, surfaces and furniture.
- Any wellness claim in project communications is framed as an intention unless the campus has measured an outcome.
Bottom line for a campus architecture brief
Active design works best as a connected campus system: a visible stair at the door, a social or quiet place worth reaching, a direct accessible route, an optional path through landscape, and weather protection where students actually walk. HMC’s examples offer a practical starting point, but each institution must test the concept against its climate, site, codes, operations and students’ varied abilities—and measure its own results rather than assuming them.
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