Van Yahres Associates has a simple philosophy; we believe the college campus should be more than the space left over between buildings. The campus is an entity unto itself, worthy of the care and attention devoted to every other aspect of the institution. It’s the first thing people see when they enter the school; it’s the image they carry when they leave. It’s where students and faculty mingle and where you find the center, the heart of the institution and the setting for so many collegiate activities.

From the basics to the visionary, we have devoted our careers to helping colleges, universities, independent schools and other institutions plan, design and maintain rationally organized spaces, systems and everything they include: roads, walks, parking, walls, fences, lawns, trees, shrubs, utilities, signs, furniture, lights and more.

We seek and obtain significant insight from all members of the university community - from hourly trade employees to students, staff, faculty, administrators and Board members - and with representatives from the surrounding communities. We know that each group communicates in different ways. We will expect to find both common ground and conflicts. And we will work with you to filter all gathered information, combine it with your strategic plan and develop a compact planning program that will become the unshakable foundation of the Master Plan.

As part of a master plan, one of the most effective tools we have developed is the Campus Assessment, a concise means of evaluating the character, condition and maintenance of the campus, comparing those findings with your mission and budget and, most importantly, taking action to bring the former in line with the latter. During the Campus Assessment, we judge the institution against six criteria that, taken together, define a well-designed campus.