Part One: Introduction
Welcome to our guidance on managing floor space in Further Education Colleges and Universities. Here, we'll share insights on optimising campus space. This is based on UK experience, but it is also likely to be relevant in other countries. This introduction is the first part of the guidance; we will post more in the future. Bookmark our knowledge-sharing page or sign up using your email below for future editions!
It is essential to be aware of the distinctions between Further and Higher Education, which we will explore later. However, there are numerous notable similarities when it comes to space management. Both sectors can learn from each other's practices.
The Challenge
Of course, when managing an estate for an educational institution, it's essential to address staff or student concerns. Indeed, many modern management gurus suggest treating colleagues as clients, so they should be offered a flexible and speedy service! What is the perceived problem? How can I help!?
The risk is that the estate team's strategic function diminishes over time, with the team's value increasingly measured by its ability to execute construction projects conceived by others. The role is never to plan but to act on wishes. Ultimately, this will likely lead to an overprovision of space, resulting in greater and greater capital and operational expenditure. Overprovision also has serious environmental repercussions, including unnecessary Carbon Dioxide Emissions (more later).
Example: the squeaky wheel gets the grease
A new science faculty member needs six new specialised research laboratories totalling 450 square meters (4,800 square feet). She has prepared a business case for expanding into a new research field. The university's senior leaders rush to approve the business plan to bolster a research grant application. In the "Accommodation" section, she mentions that new labs can be provided at a reasonable cost. For the location, she proposes using the fifth floor of the faculty building, which is currently a cafeteria. The cafeteria was installed only five years ago, but everyone agrees they can eat elsewhere on campus. Research takes precedence; after all, that's what we do!
In this example, the business plan is the "squeaky wheel"; at the moment, its needs are more apparent than any other concerns.
The labs' project is ultimately 50% over the business plan sum. Meanwhile, the head of catering wants to repurpose the five-year-old kitchen equipment to upgrade an older facility elsewhere. Scrapping the five-year-old equipment "would be madness." With the kitchen move, total costs are 80% over the business plan sum. Still, you worked hard to deliver the project, and everyone was delighted with the results.
Two years later, the expanded and successful faculty would like a new cafeteria. Surely they can walk across campus for lunch? Well, no one is happy. It turns out it's a long way, and getting a table when you finally arrive is not always easy.
The good news is that the faculty has some spare space. It advises that it has not really used its old second-floor labs for several years. The space is similar in size to the original cafeteria. So it should fit; that's good, right? Of course, someone will have to buy new kitchen equipment.
This news is frustrating. You feel like you have wasted your time and your employer's money.
However, this example involved no subterfuge, even though it may feel like it. The business plan was written by a young, entrepreneurial staff member looking for better space to carry out her ground-breaking work. She had recently joined the faculty and would not dare imply that her older colleagues' spaces were underutilised. So, she suggested displacing the cafeteria. Additionally, the business plan used an initial cost estimate from a laboratory fit-out contractor. Unfortunately, the contractor wanted to appear competitive, and their estimate was too optimistic.
Strategy versus Tactics
Of course, space management needs to be flexible. Teachers and researchers will always devise ambitious plans at short notice. Sometimes, even senior leaders surprise us: "There's a fantastic brick building down the street; we should buy it." "Ah, yes, the old telephone exchange!"
There is nothing wrong with grasping opportunities (being tactical). Yet, it helps to have plans and policies for space management (being strategic).
We need to see the big picture!
A broader view allows us to step back from particular ideas and not just examine a single floor in search of a solution. Instead, we can look at an entire building or a whole campus to find the best way forward.
The Four Elements
Four elements make up successful floor space management.
Understanding all existing spaces and their current use.
Determining optimum quantities of each space type in the future.
Deciding optimum relationships and adjacencies for internal space.
Considering how discrepancies between the current and ideal positions can be reduced over time (Projects).
Existing Spaces (items 1 & 4)
All organisations wanting to manage space need an up-to-date database. This should include scaled floor plans and an area schedule of rooms (measured from those plans). Expanding this database (ideally using industry 'BIM' protocols) to provide additional details for each space (heights, finishes, equipment) is always helpful for Estates Managers. However, additional estate data beyond plans and a floor area schedule is not essential for making 'in-principle' strategic floor space decisions.
Having complete floor plans and resulting area schedules serve two purposes.
Firstly, while benchmarks (such as floor area per student) can be utilised for various purposes (like the required quantity of library/learning centre space), the most effective approach is often to assess the scale of the existing resource and its current utilisation level. Even where other techniques are available, assessing the current utilisation of the existing space remains a valuable way to test future requirements.
Finally, after evaluating an institution's entire space needs, the evaluation should be compared with the current situation. This global comparison simultaneously pinpoints areas where space is lacking or in excess, thus potentially preventing unnecessary floor space expansion.
Modelling the ideal (items 2 & 3)
To evaluate an institution's or campus's entire space needs, we typically adopt a "modelling the ideal" technique. "Modelling the ideal" means identifying and listing optimum quantities of all kinds of space and relationships without referencing the fixed nature of existing buildings.
This "ideal" approach avoids statements such as "The Faculty can have more labs or a cafeteria but not both; the building is only so big." The critical question is:
Which spaces must be readily available to each Faculty/Department so it can deliver its goals?
When answering, we should remember that the goal is to foster a community of learners. So this is not just about spaces for formal teaching or research; it's about study, social, dining and other support spaces. We need to identify the entire package that supports each student or researcher's experience.
Once we have identified everyone's needs, we can consider adapting to the campus.
In the following posts, we will examine the above in detail.