Page 24 - College Planning & Management, July/August 2017

CAPITALIZING ON COLLEGE SPACES AND PLACES
one study showed how infrequently faculty offices are used, and another showed a very high ratio of back-office space to total facil- ity area at many colleges. The results also set the stage for amazing, popular campus destinations in unexpected places, as in
a boiler-room-turned-classrooms at the University of Hartford, or the unassuming loading dock at the School of Visual Arts that now looks like a fine-arts gallery.
Evaluating Existing Resources
For most universities, consolidation and cost savings are rarely the main aim
of strategic planning. Instead, the goal is to capitalize best on available resources for current and future needs. It sounds simple, yes — but the devil is in the details. That’s why many colleges start strategic planning on the smallest practical scale: a grow-
ing department, a student amenity or a well-defined campus-wide need, such as improved accessibility.
The result is still incredibly valuable.
“The space was envisioned to be a place to gather our whole community.” — Charles Traub
At St. John’s University in New York City, for example, a strategic review of campus spaces led to varied tactical improvements from 1,000 to 35,000 square feet in size
for residences, food service and academ- ics. Solutions for the campus include a new restaurant and a one-stop admissions facility with a retail appeal. At Columbia University, also in NYC, a campus-wide fo- cus on accessibility yielded ADA upgrades, but also ways to improve circulation and pedestrian flow.
Savvy adaptations include repurposed existing facilities, a cost-effective and often creative way to enhance campuses. For a master plan, college planners and managers ask: First, what’s the highest and best use for each space studied? Second, how are the spaces currently being used? Knowing these details campus-wide provides leverage for defining and improving departmental needs as well as needed facility adjacencies. The process also boosts a university’s ability to recapture and adapt existing space.
Repurposing Underused Assets
That’s what happened at the School of Visual Arts (SVA), a design college in lower Midtown Manhattan. Having worked on the school’s masterplan, architect Mark Gordon, AIA, LEED-AP BD+C, says new recommen- dations emerged for recapturing existing spaces for optimal uses. One underutilized asset, a loading dock, occupied valuable urban real estate at the front of the building.
SVA sought to activate the street front- age in higher, better ways. Additionally, the campus-wide plan hinged on improv- ing resources and community life in all departments, and the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) department of Photography, Video and Related Media was a top candidate. Its facilities were tucked away in the back of the same building and on the same ground floor as the loading docks, and had zero street presence and hardly any interior daylight. By expanding the department toward the street frontage, the department gains much-needed space and has more ac- cess to sunlight. Plus, it could finally share its identity and work with its host city.
The plan approved, a careful mix of uses were outlined for the new floor expan-
sion. The original loading dock doors were refurbished with large glass panels to fill the interior with light, now adapted to provide an exhibition gallery and a lecture area, ideal for the vibrant intellectual, artistic hub
24 COLLEGE PLANNING & MANAGEMENT / JULY/AUGUST 2017
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