Space Management in Higher Education

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Space Management in Higher Education

• Mary Lou Downie
• Property Researcher
• Northumbria University

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Overview

• 1994 Group estates and the importance of space
• Newcastle University Good Management Practice
  Project.
• Space management guidelines
• Review space management at your HEI

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Under-utilisation of teaching space ?
1994 Group teaching space frequency of use
HEEMS, 2002
HEEMS, 2002
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Over-provision of office space?
(HEEMS, 2002)
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Ratio of total property cost to HEI income
(HEEMS, 2002)
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Teaching income per sq.m.
(HEEMS, 2002)
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Research income per sq.m.
(HEEMS, 2002)
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Percentage of space in condition A or B
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HEFCE Funded Project Objectives

• effective space analysis and allocation
  techniques
• improve Estates utilisation
• accommodate planned growth
• develop a system for updating space data records
• tackle cultural issues
• provide sector guidelines drawn from best
  practice

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Key project areas

• Research best practice at 6 HEIs
• Space and utilisation audit
• Interactive space database
• space management policy
• space Performance Indicators
• Develop Guidelines

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What are the Guidelines?

• a basis for policy across the sector
• used at Newcastle to raise awareness and achieve
  consensus
• shed space and improve utilisation and quality

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Identify the institutions objectives and
constraints

• PRINCIPLES
• objectives address efficiency and effectiveness.
  
• strategy must support the HEIs mission
• at least one senior management champion.

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Space efficiency

• PRINCIPLE
• identify strategic target estate size what size
  can the institutions income support?
• frequency of use rates can be identified
• for all types of use

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Addressing academic space efficiency is not
enough (HEEMS, 2001)
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Space Effectiveness

• PRINCIPLE Effectiveness of space is as important
  as its efficiency
• new standards agreed in consultation with users
• different uses need different spaces
• New working practices

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Management structure

• PRINCIPLE Responsibility for space efficiency
  and effectiveness exercised energetically at top
  management level
• Supported by space advisory group

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Data

• PRINCIPLE collect for whole estate academic
  admin, and provide compelling analysis as a basis
  for sound decision-making
• transparent to all space users, to encourage
  fairness, efficiency and effectiveness.

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Utilisation surveys

• PRINCIPLE efficiency/effectiveness gains cannot
  be managed without analysis of space utilisation,
  disseminated at all levels.

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Utilisation data analysis

• Data required booked c.f. actual
• PRINCIPLES
• review data annually in the light of frequency
  targets
• act at senior management level
• adjust the number of teaching rooms to progress
  towards the target frequency rate.

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Aims of utilisation audit

• free critical rooms/times/locations
• analyse space use,
• inform changes
• educate users.

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Central timetabling

• PRINCIPLE teaching rooms pooled for central
  timetabling, for greater efficiency
• all lecture and small group teaching rooms
• teaching labs

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Percentage of rooms pooled(HEEMS, 2001)
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Degree of control
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Space standards/norms

• PRINCIPLES
• tailored to the individual institutions mission.
• Base efficiency goals on target estate size.

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Space charging

• PRINCIPLE should create an incentive to users to
  employ space efficiently by showing them its cost
  and charging for it.
• charge for share of centrally pooled teaching
  space.
• everyone must pay
• education prior to implementation

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Space charging

• PRINCIPLE will not drive efficiency if charge
  per sq.m. is easily affordable.
• Calibrate for target estate size.

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Space charging findings

• 25 of HEIs (HEEMS, 2000)
• costs included in the charge?
• operating cost of the estate YES
• COCE ONLY ONE
• maintaining fitness for purpose PART
• cost centres are academic not admin depts.

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Performance Indicators

• PRINCIPLE Using a range of data to link space
  and business performance, for all uses.

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PIs

• internal university data
• year on year
• promoting transparency and awareness
• business/space planning tool.
• Benchmark PIs

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The critical issue

• not the choice of space management systems,
• but the extent to which they are used to drive
  space efficiency and effectiveness.

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Whats happening at Newcastle

• Restructuring context

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Space auditing

• Common user teaching rooms
• departmental teaching rooms
• computer rooms
• specialist rooms
• teaching laboratories
• offices
• research space

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Performance indicators

• Data merger from different sources
• enormous variations seen
• looking for trends and outliers
• need for critical analysis
• example research income per sq.m.
• hope to develop target PIs

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Space management policy

• Policy agreed by Executive Board
• restructuring objectives
• need for multi-disciplinary approach
• contentious issues

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Review space management at your HEI

• How is space managed?
• What is the involvement/awareness of senior
  management?
• What space issues need addressing?
• 3 recommendations for improving space management.