Architectural Digest recently scoured the country to find the prettiest college campuses in the United States, taking into consideration both architectural legacy and setting.

Cooper Robertson Partner John Kirk, AIA offered his thoughts on architectural trends seen across American University Campuses.

What architectural style are colleges being designed in now?

In more recent years, collegiate architecture has returned to its roots. “With postmodernism as a seed, an interest in traditional architecture reemerged in the late’70s and early ’80s which has resulted in a course correction of sorts in the built environment,” says John Kirk, a partner at the architecture firm Cooper Robertson(who has also designed buildings for college campuses all around the world). Along side traditional architecture cropping back up on today’s campuses, colleges are also growing increasingly mindful of environmental impact, and new technology has further enabled a wave of sustainable architecture on school campuses.

Some incorporate elements like green roofs, energy-efficient systems, and natural materials into new building designs. Others incorporate new technology while still celebrating traditional collegiate architecture: “I like to refer to the buildings we do as ‘wolves in sheep’s clothing,’” says Kirk. “[They are] buildings with contextual and traditional exterior architectural expression and airy, contemporary, technologically sophisticated interiors.”

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