Designing a multi-purpose space that serves its intended function and doubles as an event space can help building owners re-allocate precious square footage to higher use spaces and help to future-proof a building through increased flexibility. Extending an Institution’s impact on its community becomes as easy as looking within its own walls.

Accommodating a wide range of activity in a single space is highly beneficial; it is financially and spatially sustainable, maximizes the use of every square foot of the building, and furthers the reach of the institution. A flexible space serves its purpose in the building’s program and can grow into creating meaningful moments under one roof for years to come.

Multi-purpose spaces mix functionality with community. A reading room or atrium in a library is used as intended. However, with careful planning, that same reading room or atrium can be transformed into an event space that can hold double the amount of foot traffic the library gets on an average day. Likewise, a carefully planned gallery provides visual impact to visitors when entering the space and doubles as function space for artist receptions and other events. The lobby’s function extends beyond its duty as the vestibule to an additional venue for social gatherings, even more striking considering a lobby greatly impacts the first impression of the entire building.

Creating a striking welcoming space sets the tone and can ensure a pleasant experience for the rest of the visit. A multipurpose space in itself, a lobby consolidates a welcome area, common area, event area, and circulation into one -- saving operations costs and square footage, helping a project with a smaller budget or site constraints, get the most out of its limited resources.

On top of budgetary benefits, flexibility extends an institution’s reach within its community. A building geared towards a certain sector, such as education (a library) or culture (a music hall) will naturally attract those particularly invested. At the Fernbank Museum in Atlanta, Georgia, The Great Hall welcomes visitors and houses a massive dinosaur skeleton, one of its most prominent attractions, under an 86 foot high glass ceiling. It can also host up to 600 people for wedding receptions, gala dinners, and other festivities. While the exhibits are the main draw, guests who otherwise would not have stepped into the museum may find themselves enamored with the space while they celebrate, piquing their interest for a future visit.

Flexible and adaptive space is an asset too valuable to ignore during the programming stage of your project. It is important to consider the concerns and needs of your building occupants while considering the community at large. As time goes on, we learn to adapt to the ebb and flow of the modern world. Designing our buildings to follow means more time to focus on creating meaningful and lasting impressions on your communities.