Page 22 - College Planning & Management, July/August 2017

Facilities CAMPUS SPACES
Capitalizing on College Spaces and Places
From loading docks to libraries, evaluating space and leveraging resources is essential to good planning — and to unlocking value on campus.
BY JANE SMITH, FAIA
FOR UNIVERSITIES AND colleges today, responsible asset management means maximizing
asset value. Starting with the basics — a programming report plus individual facility analyses and space-planning studies — can be essential and surprisingly valuable tools. For example, a major public agency recently enlisted a team led by a real estate consul- tant, with architect and interior designer Spacesmith, to conduct a comprehensive
space inventory. The results netted more than $30 million in total savings, showing the real ROI of strategic facilities planning.
In fact, this approach plays an increas- ing role on many college campuses. Like a management consultant or a financial audi- tor, the strategic planning team critically evaluates facilities and real estate in relation to campus processes and physical space. The results are often eye-opening beyond the bottom-line savings — for example,
22 COLLEGE PLANNING & MANAGEMENT / JULY/AUGUST 2017
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