Space Planning & Management for Deans, Chairs & Directors
Why plan?
Contrary to the historical memory of many at URI, changes are happening. We are going to build two major new science buildings in the next few years, freeing up thousands of square feet for other uses. We are preparing for major renovations of Independence, Lippitt, and Tyler Halls. We need to plan for all these changes as well as others that will arise. Given the economic climate, it is even more important that we manage the space that we have as effectively as possible, and plan for our future needs with as much information at hand as we can gather.
All space planning should be driven by academic and administrative strategic planning. Chairs, directors and deans have the visions of how the University should meet with missions and goals, Space planning translates those visions into the physical and resource needs and an implementation strategy. Not all needs will result in new buildings or expensive renovations – there are almost always inexpensive, moderate, and full- blown solutions to space needs.
There are costs associated with not managing our space, not strategically planning for future space needs. There are the costs of poorly utilizing of space – the costs to heat/cool/service poorly utilized space, and the cost of building and operating new space that would not be needed if existing space was better utilized. There are costs that come from poor planning of new space – the costs of not planning for growth, of building wrong kinds of space – e.g., if planning is wrong on lab needs, we could spend too much on expensive space. And because the new facility may not meet needs of users; there is the cost to renovate newly built space. There are costs that come from poor backfill planning (what goes into space vacated when another unit moves out) – the cost of moving departments multiple times, the cost of renovating space for needs that exceed capacity of building (e.g., trying to put wet labs in a building better suited for offices), and the cost of not planning for growth.
There are four components necessary to effectively manage space and plan for future space needs: the space inventory, so we know what we have; analysis of space utilization, so we know how we are using what we have; space standards and guidelines, so that we can project what we will need in the future and plan for it; and the actual space plans, in order to implement changes to meet our needs.
Space Inventory
At URI, the space inventory is maintained by Property & Inventory. The primary reason that the inventory is maintained is to provide data for Indirect Cost Recovery. The same data is critical for planning. The accuracy of the inventory is important so that we can successfully pass any audits related to ICR, but also so that we can effectively plan for our future needs.
Space Utilization
Space utilization can be assessed in a number of ways, from the basic – is the room in use or not – to complex calculations involving research dollars, staffing, enrollment, etc. There are many criteria that we will use at URI to assess utilization in classrooms, offices, departmental space, and research space.
For classrooms, two standard statistics are used at campuses around the world. The room use rate measures the number of hours the room in use per week against the standard week (i.e., 50 hours, 60 hours, etc). Typically a room use rate of <60% is considered poor utilization. The station occupancy rate looks at the percentage of seats filled per class. Typically a station occupancy rate of <60% constitutes poor utilization. Different schools set different target rates.
Utilization of teaching labs is similar to classroom utilization but the room use rate is usually much lower than classrooms due to the specialized nature of the rooms. An example of poor utilization in a teaching lab would be one that was used for teaching only one semester a year.
Poor utilization of offices can result from a number of factors. Faculty or staff that have second offices on the same campus; single full-size offices assigned to adjunct faculty, per course instructors, or graduate assistants; offices used for storage; or ones that are much larger than the guidelines are all examples of poor office utilization.
Departmental space consists of mail, copy, file and workrooms, lounges or commons, conference rooms, storage, and departmentally controlled teaching spaces. Examples of poor utilization of these are excess dead storage space; separate lounges for faculty/staff and students; infrequently used or not shared conference rooms; and departmentally controlled teaching spaces that don't meet university utilization targets.
Research space is usually the most expensive space to build and operate, so good utilization of it is very important. Poor utilization of research space includes space allocated to emeriti with no sponsored research; space allocations that are not regularly reviewed re: funding and staffing; labs, fume hoods, and/or bench space used for storage as opposed to active research; research labs used as offices or other non lab functions; wet labs used for dry research; and labs full of ancient equipment.
Suitability of space refers to the match between the room design and its current use. Poor suitability often coincides with poor utilization. Examples are offices used for storage; wet labs used as offices or dry labs; rooms that are too big or too small for the activity taking place in them; or a poor location for the room – i.e., a classroom on an upper floor surrounded by intensive research labs, a space that need quiet located on a busy first floor.
There are a number of methods of assessing research space utilization that we will explore here at URI. One method is to benchmark against other state universities, looking at the net square feet (NSF) assigned on average per faculty plus the NSF on average per grad students, for various disciplines. Another is to compare against peer institutions, looking at total research space. We will look at research space per research dollars expended ($/sf), and compare research space per PI and staff/students across comparable disciplines. We will also compare linear feet of bench space per PI in various disciplines. Combinations of these methods will likely be used so as to get an assessment of research space utilization in all its complexity. Another issue that will need to be considered is the career phase of PI. Space allocations and utilizations should be different for new faculty, those near retirement, and those who are productive and funded.
Space Policy, Standards & Guidelines
We will be developing a space policy, including space allocation standards and guidelines. Space standards and guidelines are ranges of NSF for different types of space, based on rank, research activity, FTE of students, etc. The standards that we will develop and adopt at URI will be based on national norms and will take into account recent trends. They will also acknowledge the historical allocations at URI, many of which are driven by building configurations. The standards will be used to program new buildings, renovations of existing buildings, and to project out space needs over time.
Space Needs Triggers
Departments and colleges need to be aware of the changes that they may be facing or considering that are typical triggers for growth which can drive the need for additional space, renovation of existing space, or both. Not all space needs will result in the need for a new building or a major renovation. There are usually a variety of solutions that can be considered, ranging from reorganization of activities and minimal costs to full-blown renovation/new construction and high costs. It is critical that departments take the responsibility to consider their potential space needs and communicate these as soon as possible to their dean/vice president, and through them to the Provost/President and Capital Projects. Solutions for space needs can often take many months or longer to achieve, especially if renovation or construction is required.
Some of the triggers of growth and resultant space needs are the hiring of additional faculty; the hiring of faculty to replace retiring faculty, who have different research interests; changes in a program or pedagogy; changes in enrollment; and increased or new research. These can result needs for offices, teaching space, research space, student organization space, graduate assistant office space, and renovations, among other things.
Space Planning & Strategic Planning
Space planning needs to be an integral component of strategic planning. Strategic plans should address space issues/needs that will result from any of the above triggers. Plans that will affect space must be reviewed and supported by senior administration, as plans for growth must be realistically tested – we must consider the ability to fund vs. perceived needs. All planning must be reviewed against the Master Plan and other University-wide planning approaches to ensure that the University as a whole will benefit from and individual unit's plans.
Space Planning Initiatives
Upcoming URI planning initiatives include the development and adoption of a space policy and allocation guidelines, college-wide utilization studies which will result in a database of utilization, suitability and quality ratings which can be used to project space and budget needs, and development of a process to analyze our return on investment for renovations and new buildings, by looking at increases in research dollars, enrollments, etc.
