By Lindsey Coulter听

糖心少女听(SCN)听was excited to welcome听Tieg Murray听to听the听2026听Editorial Advisory Board.听As听Vice President of Market Strategy and Creative Services for Skanska USA Building,听Murray听leads strategic planning to strengthen market differentiation across core sectors, including education. Over the last 19 years at Skanska, Murray has advanced from Marketing Coordinator to senior leadership roles, driving growth strategies for higher education, K-12,听science听and technology.听听

In her time at Skanska,听Murray has seen a lot of evolution across the听education and research world听鈥� and听believes that higher听education听is听in a moment of real transformation.听

鈥淪tudents鈥� needs are shifting,听and breakthroughs in science, medicine and technology are happening faster than ever,鈥� Murray said.听鈥淏eing part of a team that helps campuses adapt to those changes has made the work deeply meaningful for me.听We鈥檙e听not just constructing buildings.听We鈥檙e听shaping environments that will support the next generation of students,听researchers听and innovators.鈥�听

SCN spoke with Murry about the evolution of science and research facilities, future听trends听and big projects on the horizon.听

SCN:听What first drew you to the education听sector, and听what鈥檚听kept you听invested听over time?听听

Murray:听I鈥檓听drawn to university projects and their ability to shape听the听student听experience and influence the future.听That interest has grown into a real passion for university science facilities听鈥斕齮heir complexity, precision听and the incredible innovation that听happens within those spaces听鈥斕齧ake them my favorite project听type that听Skanska听delivers.听Higher听ed campuses have听a听unique听energy.听They鈥檙e听places where ideas take听shape听and communities thrive. Knowing Skanska is trusted to build spaces that will directly support the next generation of researchers, educators and students is what keeps me invested and inspired in the work every day.听

SCN:听Science and research environments have evolved rapidly in recent years.听What鈥檚听been the most significant shift since you began working in this space?听听

One of the biggest shifts听is听the evolution of听science and research environments.听Labs were听traditionally built around a single听discipline听with very defined boundaries. Today听… science buildings are intentionally interdisciplinary, more technologically driven and built with flexibility at their core.听They鈥檙e听designed to support rapid change, encourage听collaboration听and adapt to research needs we听can鈥檛听even predict.听Watching听this听evolution听makes听the work more exciting听and more challenging.听It鈥檚听reinforced just how critical thoughtful planning and true industry听expertise听have become.听

SCN:听Looking ahead, how do you see education environments听鈥斕齪articularly science and STEM spaces听鈥斕齨eeding to adapt?听听

Over the next five to听10听years, science and STEM environments will need to become even more flexible and听forward-looking. Research is evolving too quickly for buildings to be tied to a single purpose, which makes adaptability essential.听We鈥檙e听seeing a strong shift toward spaces that can be reconfigured with ease, support emerging听technologies听and encourage collaboration across disciplines. Open labs, shared听equipment听and听purpose-built听collaboration areas are no longer听鈥渘ice to have鈥澨齠eatures.听They鈥檙e听becoming fundamental to how innovation and learning take place on campuses.听

At the same time, institutions are facing increasing pressure to听operate听more efficiently and more responsibly. Sustainability,听resilience,听and performance are now central considerations in planning and delivering new facilities. Universities are working hard to reduce energy use and manage听long-term听operating costs, all听while supporting听highly complex听research programs.听Skanska is helping campuses meet these demands by delivering high-performing, resilient facilities听that support听cutting-edge听research听while lowering energy consumption and lifecycle听costs.听

SCN:听What projects are you听excited to see come to fruition?听听

On the East Coast,听I鈥檓听proud of听what鈥檚听ahead听for听Simmons University with the new Living Learning Center听in Boston听and at the University of Virginia with the Paul and Diane Manning Institute of Biotechnology听in听Charlottesville. These are the kinds of facilities that will open doors for students听and create听richer learning experiences,听while听giving researchers the spaces they need to push discovery forward.听听

On the West Coast,听in Seattle,听the University of Washington鈥檚 Magnuson Health Sciences T-Wing Renovation is听a great example听of听how听we鈥檙e听helping institutions breathe new life into older facilities so they can keep pace with rapidly evolving scientific needs. Seeing an aging building transformed into a place that supports modern research is听exciting and听rewarding.听

In the听K-12 world, projects like the Beaverton High School Modernization听in Oregon, Rye Ranch Elementary听in Florida,听and the new Arlington High School听in听Massachusetts,听remind me why this work matters so much. These schools will shape the daily experience of younger students,听giving them safe, inspiring,听future听ready spaces where they can learn and grow.听

Ultimately, across听all these regions and project types, what excites me most is how each facility will directly support student success, research advancement, and community impact, and how Skanska continues to be a trusted partner in shaping the future of education.听听

Watch for more insights from Murray and other Editorial Advisory Board members听throughout the year.听

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Campus safety could not be a timelier topic, from elementary school and high school to college and university campuses. Larger issues like gun control will take time to address as students arrive on college campuses. Underlying and growing in parallel on our campuses is stress among students that have seen the unthinkable happen time and time again, continuing to feel unsafe and needing safety in every way. They crave clarity, predictability and peace. They need well-being.

Last year, I covered ways to improve safety through design strategies like Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED). But we can expand this toolkit in other ways, taking a view on campus safety of broader dimensions. Studies dating back to 2001 show well-being design strategies reduced mental fatigue, hostility and outbursts of anger. In one study 鈥� titled 鈥淓nvironment and Crime in the Inner City: Does Vegetation Reduce Crime?鈥� 鈥� greener buildings resulted in 52 percent fewer felonies, with 7 to 8 percent linked to increased access to nature, which is also strongly tied to increased calm, ability to focus, reduced absence and greatly improved school retention rates. Stress inhibits situational awareness, the conscious observance of one鈥檚 surroundings that alerts to health and safety threats, and we miss leakage, the term for the hints disturbed people leave that forewarn catastrophic behavior.

Environmental Stressors

Environmental stressors affect our bodies without our knowledge or volition, constantly affecting our well-being. New understanding of our physiological and psychological relationship with our environment applied to campus planning, design and architecture can improve daily experience, well-being and support individual resiliency. At our disposal are:

鈥� Experience Design, the process of identifying, designing, delivering and maintaining meaningful experiences over time;

鈥� Biophilic Design, the process of design that stems from understanding the inherent human inclination to affiliate with nature; and

鈥� Multi-Sensory Design, the process of design based on the application of scientific study of sensory perception and its effect on well-being.

These strategies contribute to the Settings Approach to design.

Settings Approach

The term Settings Approach refers to health and well-being stemming from the settings of daily life. As discussed by Dr. Mark Dooris, leader of the United Kingdom鈥檚 Healthy Universities Model and Framework Project and a founding contributor to the Okanagan Charter, this holistic model is concerned with making the actual places where people spend their time 鈥� the physical reality of our campuses 鈥� supportive of well-being.

The Settings Approach is at the core of the Okanagan Charter. It was created in 2015 by more than 380 researchers, practitioners, administrators, students and policy makers from 45 countries, including representatives from the World Health Organization; Pan American Health Organization; and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization on the territory of the Okanagan Nation in Kelowna, Canada. The charter is being adopted by increasing numbers of institutions nationally, setting a commitment and process for well-being on all campuses.

The charter includes two Calls to Action 鈥� embed health into all aspects of campus culture, across administration, operations and academic mandates, and lead health promotion action and collaboration locally and globally. Four sub-goals pertain particularly to physical planning, design and maintenance of campus facilities, landscape and infrastructure.

鈥� Include health, well-being and sustainability in all planning and decision-making of campuses and communities, with practices integrated and coordinated across all campus programs.

鈥� Identify opportunities to study and support health and well-being as well as sustainability and resilience, in built and natural academic and learning environments.

鈥� Proactively and intentionally create empowered, connected and resilient campus communities.

鈥� Use cross-cutting approaches to embed understanding and commitment to health, well-being and sustainability in every aspect of campus life, thereby providing both healthful experience and habits that students will carry into life after graduation.

Two of the charter鈥檚 key principles directly address school construction and infrastructure: a focus on settings and whole system approaches and emphasis on comprehensive, campus-wide approaches to development and implementation plans for campus communities.

What More Can We Do?

First and foremost, central to the charter is defying silos and working with campus colleagues who may have only participated peripherally or incidentally in the development of campus facilities and master plans in the past. The National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) has been at the forefront of educating student life administrators to the Settings Approach and aspects of campus planning and design that affect well-being. Get to know the student life administrators at your institution. Engage them in the development of new projects beyond the cursory initial focus groups. They want to be your partner and will be there to monitor success through the life of the facility.

Don鈥檛 wait for a major project to begin. A great success story from Simon Fraser University (SFU) in Vancouver, an early adopter of the Okanagan Charter, started with a simple renovation of a tired study area completed in-house by Facilities Services. Together, Rosie Dhaliwal, acting associate director of Health Promotion, and Marcos Olindan from Facilities Services began to expand the typical process, engaging students in deeper, more meaningful and continuous ways and focusing on features that improve the social, mental and physical health and well-being of space users.

The renewed area was so successful that the process was repeated many times in other areas throughout SFU鈥檚 Academic Quadrangle. Principles for Enhancing Well-Being Through Physical Spaces at SFU, guidelines developed from these projects, are now part of SFU鈥檚 Healthy Campus Community initiative, and are used in tandem with existing design procedures and standards such as WELL Building Standard, Whole Building Design Guide, LEED and CPTED.

Students are standing up, demanding greater response to campus safety. We are all on a learning curve, but with a more comprehensive attitude, we have tools and strategies available to meet this challenge.

Celine Larkin, AIA, LEED AP, is an architect, urban designer and campus planner with a passion for improving educational settings, currently focused on research into Gen Z and strategies that increase well-being and learning in all built environments. Formerly head of Urban Design/Master Planning at HGA Architects, Engineers + Planners and Gensler Los Angeles, she now consults internationally, based in Doha, Qatar.

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