In 2025, universities and colleges are making hard choices when it comes to campus facilities investment, with new construction projects increasingly put on the back burner while funding is instead directed into strategic renovations and reuse of existing buildings. This continues a trend line: Experts see “a rebound in investment in existing campus assets over the past several years” including a 26% increase year over year in 2023, according to sector research group Gordian.
According to architect and campus facilities expert Mark Sullivan, AIA, this trend is set to continue for the foreseeable future as institutions look for value and return on investment. At many institutions, dollars are shifting from constructing new prestige projects and focusing instead on existing buildings that often need only modest resources to realize their full potential and value.
“These days most higher education institutions are not committing to any facility that isn’t already in the ground, or close to it,” said Sullivan, partner with JZA+D in Princeton, New Jersey. “Universities always want to build a new athletic center or tech hub to stay competitive in recruiting student applicants and new faculty, but the possibility of tariffs and economic uncertainty, among other factors, is leading decision-makers to invest in value-driven projects – upgrading and adapting existing assets in ways that deliver value per-square-foot while expending fewer resources.”
He notes, “Basically the watchword is ‘if it’s not broken, don’t spend money on it.’”
According to Sullivan, universities do well for their facilities portfolios when they adapt and renovate existing spaces. Working with architecture firms like JZA+D to identify opportunities, they can turn imagination and innovation into architecture that makes a positive impression, while improving basic functionality and extending building use life. “These smaller investments can still make a big splash,” he said.
Renovation and adaptive reuse projects represent the best bang for the university’s buck, said Sullivan, especially when the facilities are seen by prospective applicants or heavily trafficked by enrolled students. He points to recent work the firm has done to renovate off-campus townhomes in Princeton, New Jersey serving faculty and graduate students, as well as dormitories and a lecture hall on a campus in Northern New Jersey, as examples of modest investments with outsize impact on the day-to-day experience of campus life, especially when – as with the lecture hall – the design includes elements that enhance universal accessibility.
JZA+D is also working with another university on a planned reuse project to transform an underutilized theater into a virtual reality (VR) lab, he said, primarily through infrastructure upgrades.
“These locations are the foundation of campus life: academic settings and living spaces,” said Sullivan. “They make an impression on visiting student applicants, so they should look fresh and appealing. And features like a VR lab will attract a lot of attention, with no new building required.”
Public facing facilities also need attention, he added, indicating the new welcome center JZA+D designed for Rutgers University – Camden. The design resulted in a vibrant setting for prospective attendees arriving for tours and presentations, with brand-inspired colors and finishes combined with displays of artwork and visual media that shed light on the institution’s legacy.
JZA+D’s designs draw on the firm’s work in other sectors, especially hospitality and residential, to deliver innovative and memorable built environments that support recruitment and retention goals. “Being less resource-intensive, these kinds of projects still have a big impact,” said Sullivan, and can contribute greatly to goals of growth and future-planning.