Page 3 - College Planning & Management, November 2017
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Campus Scene IN THE SPOTLIGHT
New Academic Facility for MSOE
THE MILWAUKEE SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING (MSOE) in Milwaukee, WI, has announced a new academic facility, the $34 million Dwight and Dian Dier- cks Computational Science Hall, to be constructed in the center of campus.
The facility is a proposed 64,000-square-foot cornerstone building that will join the uni- versity’s iconic Grohmann Museum, Kern Center and Grohmann Tower campus buildings.
Inside, the new building will provide modern classrooms, innovative laborato- ries, an auditorium and spaces to support companies who partner with MSOE. Once the facility is completed, the university will be positioned at the educational forefront in artificial intelligence (AI), deep learning, cyber security, robotics, cloud comput- ing and other next-generation technologies.
A major feature of the facility will be a state-of-the-art data center which will be home to a GPU-accelerated supercomputer. Students, faculty and staff, and busi- nesses across industries are invited to collaborate with MSOE to benefit from this tremendous asset to the region.
The project is set for groundbreaking in early- to mid-2018. Uihlein Wilson Archi- tects will serve as project developers.
Ask the Expert
This Month
ADA Compliance
How can we achieve ADA compliance?
WHEN LOOKING AT MEETING ADA require- ments most only think of wheelchair accessibil- ity. This is only part of the equation. We must also make accommodations for those with vision, hearing or speech disabilities. Here are five items to consider for ADA compliance when creating or improving your learning spaces.
1. Ensure proper spacing between walls and fixed furniture; typically, 60 inches in most cases.
2. Consider tables or instructors’ stations that
can provide both the proper height and knee clearance: 30 inches wide by 19 inches deep by 27 inches high. If looking at adjustable height, consider electric lift systems rather than crank or pneumatic as they can be controlled with no effort from the user.
3. Review areas of reach on walls and fixtures. a) Height reach restriction: 15 inches (minimum) and 48 inches (maximum) from floor. b) Unobstructed forward reach: 20-25 inches deep (maximum, height restric-
tion of 48 inches). c) Obstructed side and forward reach: 10-24 inches deep (maximum, obstruction 34 inches maximum).
4. Items protruding from a wall that are be- tween 27 inches to 80 inches high can be no more than 4 inches deep from the wall. This includes monitors and screens. Items below 27 inches can be identified with a cane.
5. Ensure that you have assistive listening devices, and proper line of sight for visual aids. Also check whether the technology you are using can help support those with hearing disabilities.
Achieving ADA compliance can add benefits
such as improved ergonomics, along with provid- ing the optimal learning environment for students and instructors. It may seem like a daunting task but there are many resources available. We always recommend reviewing ADA guidelines regularly to check for updates or changes.
Ben Jones is the national sales manager for Spectrum Industries, Inc. (www.spectrum furniture.com). He can be reached at bjones@ spectrumfurniture.com or 407/242-6256.
Facility Management
Leaders Launch
New Credential
Citing a critical need for facility professionals to obtain the necessary skills to optimize the performance
of buildings and the people within
them throughout the world, a newly established commission of FM thought leaders, employers, practitioners and educators have joined the Professional Facility Management Institute (ProFMI) to create a new, global standard of FM knowledge and competency.
Based upon these urgent industry needs, ProFMI has created a new cre-
dential: The ProFMTM, which comprises the knowledge, skills, abilities and behaviors required for facility managers to be impactful now and in the future.
The ProFM designation was developed through extensive market research of more than 3,000 facility professionals in 93 countries, who provided input on the essential skills required of today’s facility management professionals and executives.
The new credential will be available to the public in the first quarter of 2018. Facil- ity professionals will have access to a com- plete self-study program and instructor-led courses offered by ProFMI’s Education
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