Episode #355: What Esports Can Teach Us About Campus Design

As higher education rethinks its physical footprint, the opportunity isn’t always to build more—it may be to make better use of what already exists. Derek Sola , Design Principal at JCJ Architecture , discusses how adaptive reuse, hospitality, flexibility, and intentional placemaking can transform campus spaces for today’s learners. Using UMass Lowell’s esports arena as a case study, he explores how an underused space became a flexible environment for competition, learning, broadcasting, collaboration, and community—and why the most successful educational spaces may be those that blur the boundaries between the digital and physical worlds.

Guest Name: Derek Sola - Design Principal at JCJ Architecture

Guest Social: LinkedIn

Guest Bio: Derek Sola is a Principal and project leader with 28 years of experience leading planning and design across the United States and internationally, with a portfolio spanning hospitality, gaming, cultural, higher education, performing arts, commercial, mixed-use, convention, office, sports, and master planning. In recent years, Derek has specialized in the planning and design of large-scale integrated gaming and resort destinations, partnering with some of the industry's most respected owners and operators, including MGM Resorts International, Las Vegas Sands, Caesars Entertainment, Penn Entertainment, Yaamava' Resort & Casino at San Manuel, and Holland Casino. He has served as a Project Architect, Studio Director, Design Director, and Firmwide Gaming Leader, a versatility exemplified in his role as Design Principal for JCJ's Forever One Memorial in Las Vegas, where architecture transcends function to become a place of remembrance, resilience, and healing.

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