In the 2050 scenario, the team’s prediction of extreme climate effects, combined with climate migration, gave maximum priority to climatic, hydrological, and ecological adaptation, with high emphasis also placed on flexibility, accessibility, and inclusivity. This resulted in interventions including water retention basins along the low-lying eastern limits of the campus, and tree rows that add to biodiversity and serve as natural snow fences during winter. A looping path connects the entire campus as a primary mobility route, connecting a variety of hubs that serve the campus’s many users, from students to neighbourhood residents.

In 2080, many of the scenario predictions are intensified, leading to a more prominent role for the elements such as water retention basins that already arose in 2050. Buffalo’s expanding population, driven by climate migration, is accommodated in new structures that infill some of the campus’s less productive spaces, with a web of new paths contributing to increased interconnectivity. In the 30 years since 2050, new challenges also loom: food and resource shortages greatly increase the priority given to self-sufficiency and circularity, and the campus responds with areas for food production, and flexible, efficient, and demountable building designs.

At the scale of individual buildings, the design team proposed to adapt the Health Sciences Complex, clarifying its layout while maintaining the existing structure. A series of atriums are carved into the building at strategic locations, creating vibrant social spaces, while flexible classrooms are designed to pivot to become emergency support hubs when required, embedding civic resilience into the campus fabric. A lightweight, modular timber roof extension is proposed as a way to expand the existing building without encroaching upon the campus landscape and without requiring reinforcement of the existing structure, thus providing a low-impact approach to increase the building’s capacity for the coming decades.