As the evolution of information ecosystems has accelerated across higher education, learning commons have become iconic places celebrating the changing nature of student learning. These places have become important symbolic centres in higher education today, combining the goals of equitable education together with access to unprecedented layers of curated information. Yet, educators and administrators have found it difficult to describe and analyse how learning processes are changing and how the layered and deeply interrelated learning behaviours of students are changing over time. But in a larger sense, the space of a shared commons dedicated to learning has the potential to function not just as a place of associated symbolic meaning, but also as an adaptive system in itself; not just the setting for observing changing ways of learning, but an active participant in shaping a landscape of change. We introduce a theoretical model, research method and case study in order to better understand the collective nature of learning in the commons, how space and learning are interrelated in these spaces, and how learning commons can be managed to actively adapt to the specific needs of institutions. [For the complete volume, "Spaces of Teaching and Learning: Integrating Perspectives on Research and Practice," see ED611164.]