Virtual universities in the third millennium: an assessment of the implications of teleworking on university buildings and space planning

It is apparent that the world of education has changed; the latest developments in the superhighway and the Internet are allowing students to be more flexible as to the time and place of learning in ways that were unimaginable ten years ago. The emergence of newly adopted metaphors such as “virtual university” and “networked campus” has greater impact on the teaching and learning modus operandi. The Dearing Report on higher education in the UK has emphasised that open access to a networked desktop and portable computer by all students will become the sine qua non for the next millennium. One of the main questions this paper is seeking to address is the wider implications of these changes on a university’s planning and design. Will the university be radically transformed into a virtual world? Will the university as we know it be able to exist at all? What are the alternative usages of the existing buildings? An attempt will be made to examine the implications of teleworking on university planning and the use of campus buildings. It is anticipated that this paper will highlight issues for open discussion which might increase the level of understanding and awareness between all those involved in the policy making, planning and management of university estates.