---
title: Old School Gets New Era
date: 2026-02-10T05:30:00-05:00
author: University of Maryland
canonical_url: "https://today.umd.edu/old-school-gets-new-era"
section: Articles
---
# Old School Gets New Era

*February 10, 2026* — by [Maggie Haslam](/author/maggie-haslam)


> In 24-Hour Student Placemaking Challenge, Students Imagine Extreme Makeover for Campus Classroom

*55087229195 749b8d67fa o 1920x1080 — (Photo by Keagan Suddith)*

Left-handed or particularly tall students at the University of Maryland who’ve taken a class in Reckord Armory’s lecture hall know how tough it is to find a decent seat, thanks to its low ceiling clearance and right-handed fold-out desks.

But for students who are hearing-impaired, use a wheelchair or manage another challenge, the dimly lit, World War II-era auditorium presents more than an inconvenience; it could make or break whether they can hear the professor, see the mathematical formula on the board, or arrive at their next class on time.

This weekend, several dozen undergraduates reimagined the classroom as part of the University of Maryland’s PlaceHack, a 24-hour design competition where interdisciplinary teams reconceive an underachieving space on campus for over $4,000 in cash prizes. Sponsored by the School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation and UMD’s Community and Belonging, this year’s competition was a crash course to students on what it means to offer an inclusive learning space, and an opportunity for UMD officials to hear fresh perspectives in their continuous effort to upgrade classrooms to an A+.

“Differently abled students want to have the same experience in exactly the same way as their peers,” said Hilary Gossett, UMD director of academic facilities, who served as the challenge’s “client,” and who will take the students’ ideas to her team. “And that’s really important when we talk about feeling included and feeling part of the experience.”


*Closeup of students writing in notebook and working on tablets — (Photo by Keagan Suddith)*


PlaceHack was created in 2022 by Dawn Jourdan, dean of the School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, to bring students together after the pandemic, and to engage them in envisioning meaningful places that are for everyone. Teams are intentionally interdisciplinary and must include Terps from at least three different majors. While previous challenges have tasked students with conceiving vibrant outdoor spaces on campus or community amenities for the Discovery District, this year’s PlaceHack focused on leveling the educational playing field.

Many of UMD’s teaching spaces were designed long before the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law in 1990, said Jourdan; the university has been actively retrofitting, redesigning and adding accommodations to them for decades. This requires not only wheelchair ramps and creative classroom configurations, but also technology upgrades to help those with hearing and visual impairments.

“I believe that a really well-designed place is good for all people,” she told students at the Friday kickoff. “So what we’re trying to do with these classrooms is to understand all the different needs that people have.”

After a frigid walk to the project site, teams learned their parameters: They couldn’t change the room height, windows or location of emergency doors. The support beam that commandeers the center of the room was also off-limits. But everything else, including leveling the tiered floor, was fair game. For the next 18 hours, students dove into research, mood boards and design schemes—fueled through the night by an endless supply of snacks—to fine-tune ARM 135’s accessibility glow-up.

Each of the seven teams abandoned the auditorium layout to create modular informal and formal learning environments that offered flexibility and dynamic learning configurations. Students swapped the classroom’s tile floors for soft, sound-absorbing carpet and traded government-issue beige walls for mood-boosting color contrasts for wayfinding and delineating spaces. High-tech additions—from voice-to-text smart boards and ceiling mics to multiple projector walls and screen mirroring on desks—ensured there was no bad seat in the room.

“I think this project is helping students understand all the dimensions of accessibility,” said landscape architecture Professor Christopher Ellis, one of the volunteer faculty mentors.


*student presents slide with "our floor plans" — (Photo by Maggie Haslam)*




**Topics:** [Campus & Community](https://today.umd.edu/tags/campus-community)


**Tags:** [Disability and Accessibility](https://today.umd.edu/topic/disability-and-accessibility), [Academic Competitions](https://today.umd.edu/topic/academic-competitions), [Student Experience](https://today.umd.edu/topic/student-experience)


**Units:** [School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation](https://today.umd.edu/topic/school-architecture-planning-and-preservation)