Space Assessment Statement

Process and overall scope of work

In March of 2010, the Loebl Schlossman & Hackl/ PSA-Dewberry Master Planning Consulting Team (LSH/PSAD) was contracted to assist Eastern Illinois University in producing an update of its Campus Master Plan. The space assessment process was highly participatory: the team met with over one hundred people representing forty-one different University Departmental Units to gather data and input on campus facilities needs; establish space parametric criteria (space standards); and to develop qualitative and quantitative space requirements. These departments were selected by EIU as those most in need of space or located in buildings slated for demolition.
LSH/PSAD worked closely with the Campus Master Plan Committee (CMPC), appointed by President Perry with representation from the trustees, alumni, the administration, faculty, staff and students. CMPC met with the LSH/ PSAD team throughout the master planning process to prioritize master plan goals and objectives, review recommendations, set development guidelines and finalize departmental space requests.

The project is organized in seven sequential stages of work:

  • Organization & Vision
  • Site Assessment
  • Space Assessment
  • Space Accommodations Planning
  • Conceptual Planning
  • Master Plan Development
  • Documentation

Square footage and site plan information for all university buildings and spaces on the campus were collected and formatted. The LSH/PSAD team studied the campus infrastructure and program data, investigating landscaping and paved areas, pedestrian and vehicular traffic patterns, building styles and conditions.
The Space Assessment Scope of Work is comprised of two elements: first, a detailed calculation of space needed for the 41 selected Departments; and second, a calculation for the entire general classroom space need of the University.

Team

This document has been prepared for Eastern Illinois University under the leadership of the ad hoc Eastern Illinois University Campus Master Plan Committee appointed by President William Perry. The Committee includes:

Eastern Illinois University
Roger Beck, History
Barbara Burke, Athletics
Angie Campbell, Civil Service Council
Karen Drage, CUPB/Technology
Mary Anne Hanner, Sciences
Cay Kolling, Staff Senate/ ITS
Blair Lord, Academic Affairs Provost/VP
Jeff Lynch, Arts & Humanities
Robert Martin, University Advancement VP
Dan Nadler, Student Affairs VP
William O’Rourke, Board of Trustees
William Perry, President
John Pommier, Faculty Senate/Recreation Administration
Gary Reed, FPM Director
Steve Shrake, FPM Assoc Director
William Weber, Business Affairs VP
Eric Wilber, Student Govt/ University Advancement

Friends of EIU
Ken Bower, Community
Jonathan Gosse, Alumni
Rita McCollum, Alumni
Steve Pamperin, City of Charleston
Jack Pine, Alumni

Loebl Schlossman & Hackl
Clair Ardizzone, Programmer
Brandon Lipman, AIA, Principal-in-Charge/Lead Planner
Peter Schlossman, AIA, Project Architect

PSA-Dewberry
Jeff Conroy, FAIA, Lead Programmer

Ratio
John Jackson, ASLA, Landscape Architect

KJWW Engineers
Steve Rhoades, PE, MEP Engineering

Overview

This Space Assessment Report is part of the Campus Master Plan Document created for the Eastern Illinois University campus. It provides the space requirements for all proposed building space in the Campus Master Plan, including new buildings, renovations, and additions. It serves as the basis for developing a master plan to illustrate how the growth of all departments can be accommodated with reallocation of existing space and addition of new space.

Vision

Specific objectives for the campus master plan as addressed by the CMPC:
Create a sustainability-based master plan.
Reduced car trips/ walkable campus
Reduced dependency on fossil fuels by using renewable energy
Reduce/ recycle waste
Natural storm water drainage to reduce infrastructure impact
Plan a highly sustainable, flexible science building “on display” for campus and community populations.
Support Integrative Learning.
Places where faculty and students can meet informally
Outreach programs in the community
Embrace a transparent

Guiding Principles

These principles will establish a framework for the development of the Campus Master Plan, creating a mental picture of the University as we would like it to become:

Maintain the current student/faculty/staff population numbers.
Create a unified theme/approach in which tradition is evident and respected.
Build in flexibility for addressing current needs and future growth.
Retain defining attributes of the campus.
Create a cohesive physical identity that weaves the campus into the community and region.
Expect and deliver a great Campus Master Plan – one that offers a source of pride for the EIU and Charleston community.
Plan for the Phased Physical Growth of the Campus in three increments: 5 years, 10 years, and Ultimate Development.
Coordinate Campus Planning with the concurrent Athletics Master Planning.

Data Gathering

The LSH/PSAD Team collected academic information, including an itemized schedule of courses, number of students enrolled per course, weekly student contact hours and room assignments. This document represents enrollment data for the spring 2010 semester.
The EIU Space Management Database was formatted for space assessment use.
A departmental structure was provided, identifying distribution of responsibility and key leaders to be interviewed. A questionnaire was prepared and submitted to these leaders, including the department heads of the 41 selected departments. With departmental help, the database was corrected wherever missing or outdated information existed.
Detailed information requested:

Existing space and staff assigned per room per Department
Proposed space and staff needs
General comments

The site plan with utility overlays was provided by Facilities Planning and Management (FPM) staff in AutoCAD format, from which a 3-D base sheet was developed. This base sheet will be used to graphically identify existing site issues and opportunities

Methodology

LSH/ PSAD conducted a series of interviews, beginning with a Visioning session, with key University Leaders and every Department Head involved in the program to review and refine the data. This process included both analyses of existing conditions and the proposed parametric criteria for calculating space needs. These criteria were developed based on standards previously adopted by EIU, tempered by the experience of the LSH/ PSAD team, and in consideration of nationally recognized standards used by peer institutions of EIU.

General classroom space

The basic method adopted for calculating general classroom space is the Assignable Square Footage per Weekly Student Contact Hour formula.
Assignable square footage (ASF) is the useable space inside classrooms, offices, etc. It does not include circulation (corridors and stairs) and building service space (restrooms, janitor closets), or the area taken by walls or columns.
Weekly Student Contact Hours (WSCH) are the number of total hours all students spend in scheduled instruction during one week.Detatailed

Departmental Space

The detailed departmental space calculation was based on interviewing each department to identify and justify additional space requested. Because it is the vision of the University to maintain its current total enrollment over a 10-15 year planning horizon, departments were instructed to limit their space requests accordingly. This space was identified as “Proposed Program” space.
The Steering Committee then met in a day-long session to finalize the space upon which the Master Plan would be based. This space was identified as the “Target Program” space. The initial Target Program Space List for the 41 Departments is a baseline calculation assuming all departments would move into new space following the parametric space criteria approved by the CMPC.
The final Target Program Space List will be adjusted on whether a department is planned to move into new space, into existing space vacated by others, or expanding in place. For instance, a department with small but otherwise functional offices will not move into new, standard-size offices unless the department is moving into new space - either in a new building or in a totally renovated existing building.

Space Calculation

At its current enrollment of 11,002 full time equivalent (FTE) students, EIU has 1,939,169 assignable square feet (ASF) of space, including residential. Excluding general classroom space, the 41 selected Departments are assigned 423,609 ASF or 22% of that total. Critical space shortages exist in teaching lab, research lab and selected departmental office areas. While no significant growth is anticipated for the student population, mMany of the teaching lab spaces are currently undersized, seriously outmoded or lack adequate support facilities. In the office category, people are crammed into small spaces or share offices designed for single occupancy. There is very little support space for files, copiers, work areas or general storage.
Some buildings, particularly Life Science and Old Main, are severely overcrowded and need major renovation. Others, like Coleman and Physical Science, are in good physical condition but also severely overcrowded and, depending on the final choice of use, will need selective renovation.. Two facilities are in such deteriorated condition they are strong candidates for demolition: the Life Sciences Annex and the Student Services Building. Finally, one building can be repurposed and if appropriate expanded when the new Utility Plant comes online: the Steam Power Plant.
The calculation for the 41 Departments yields a total need for 530,964 Assignable Square Feet (ASF) of space, an increase of 107,355 ASF , or 25% over the existing assigned square footage.

100 General Classroom Calculation

For the purpose of calculating space, LSH/PSAD has divided classroom space into five categories based on seating capacity and the optimal space characteristics to properly accommodate these capacities:
Seminar Rooms 24 seats or less
Small Classrooms 25-30 seats
Medium Classrooms 31-40 seats
Large Classrooms 41-60 seats
Lecture Halls over 60 seats

ASF/Students Station

This factor represents the average space one student station takes, calculated by dividing the total area of the room by the number of stations in the room. This factor accommodates an instructor’s station and any space required by AV Equipment. The proposed ASF per Student Station values are:

Seminar Rooms 30
Small Classrooms 28
Medium Classrooms 26
Large Classrooms 24
Lecture Halls 18

The average proposed ASF/Station factor for all general classroom space is 25.8, compared to the existing average of 23.0.

Room Utilization

Room utilization represents the average number of hours a room is scheduled for instruction during the week. A rate of 36 hours/week (90% of a standard 40 hour instructional week), is recommended for all rooms regardless of size. Given faculty or student resistance to schedule course instruction at certain times of the day or week, 36 hours/week is an industry standard for instructional space.
Station Occupancy. Station Occupancy represents the average percentage of stations occupied when rooms are in use. Typically it is easier to fill a small room section than a large one. Accordingly, Station Occupancy has been set as:

Seminar Rooms 80%
Small Classrooms 75%
Medium Classrooms 70%
Large Classrooms 65%
Lecture Halls 65%

These values are historically typical for 4-year universities.

Weekly Student contact Hours(WSCH)

WSCH is the total number of hours all students spend in scheduled instruction during a one-week period. Because it has been decided that the FTE student population will not increase over the master planning period, Eastern Illinois University has set an overall zero growth target for Weekly Student Contact Hours.

Calculation

Combining the ASF/Station values with the Room Utilization and Station Occupancy factors, the Assignable Square Feet per WSCH is calculated as
ASF/Station = ASF/WSCH Utilization Hrs. x % Occupancy

The multiplication of total Weekly Student Contact Hours by the ASF/WSCH factor equals the total Assignable Square Footage needed.
Following is the ASF/WSCH calculation formula for each of the five room sizes:

Seminar:
30 ASF / (36 hrs. x 80% occupancy) = 1.042
Small Classroom:
28 ASF / (36 hrs. x 75% occupancy) = 1.037
Medium Classroom:
26 ASF / (36 hrs. x 70% occupancy) = 1.032
Large Classroom:
24 ASF / (36 hrs. x 65% occupancy) = 1.026
Lecture Hall:
18 ASF / (36 hrs. x 65% occupancy) = 0.769

The combined proposed average ASF/WSCH space factor for all general classroom space is 0.989, compared to the existing average of 0.959.
The Proposed 116,958 ASF for Classroom space, including both classroom and classroom service space, represents a growth of 6,653 ASF , or 5%. Based on the current estimated distribution of Weekly Student Contact Hours and the current teacher/ student ratio, there is no shortage of classroom space.
All classrooms are fitted with electronic delivery systems.

Lecture Halls

Most of the difference in the existing vs. proposed ASF/Station is located in the lecture hall category, where tiered theater seating prevails in tight configurations. Because such rooms are typically fixed 2-story assets not easily reconfigured, it is recommended that they be maintained in their existing configurations unless a major renovation dictates their replacement.
Given the anticipated financial pressures expected over the next 10-15 years, two new 150-seat lecture halls have been programmed to accommodate some larger class sections.

Large Classrooms

These spaces are typically tiered to allow for good sightlines to the instructor’s station and for presentation of audiovisual materials. To facilitate interactivity among students, many classrooms of this size are configured in a case study style layout with long narrow tables and chairs arranged on tiered rows.
With the trending toward laptop computer use in the curriculum of many courses, students need additional workspace for laptops along with traditional instructional materials and notebooks. A minimal 12” deep work surface is needed to accommodate a laptop; 18” is preferred. Additionally, 30” to 36” of workspace width is required per student to allow for adequate workspace.
Many of the existing rooms in this category have already been reconfigured to fit this model.

Classrooms of 40 Seats or Less

Contemporary teaching models need moveable/modular furniture that can be arranged in rows for traditional instruction, or rearranged in a variety of different configurations to allow for interaction between students within the room.
Some of the existing rooms in this category have been re-equipped to fit this model; others still utilize tablet armchairs and will be refitted as finances allow.

210/215 Teaching Laboratatory Calculation

This report characterizes a teaching lab as a specialized instructional space, regardless of whether it has other uses (such as research or independent study), and which generally is fitted with special furniture and/or equipment. By this definition, computer labs assigned for instructional use are included in this category. The Assignable Square Feet per Station for teaching labs varies between fields of study.
For the 41 Calculation Departments, the proposed 159,847 ASF for teaching lab and related lab service space represents a growth of 49,105 ASF, or about 44%.
The proposed growth is due to a combination of two things: relief of current overcrowding, and the need for specialized spaces to teach new courses. Spaces used by Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Geology/Geography, and Physics are under-equipped, outmoded or in buildings that are environmentally deficient.

220/225 Research Laboratatory Calculation

For the 41 Departments, the proposed 475,043 ASF for Research Lab space represents a growth of 121,679 ASF, or about 34% growth, to acommodate the anticipated demand for research at both graduate and undergraduate levels, particularly in the Sciences.

300 OFFICE Calculation

For the 41 Departments, the proposed 137,352 ASF Office Space requirement represents a growth of 25,183 ASF, or 23%. There is minimal planned staff growth, and most of that is a desire to restore staff from cutbacks previously effected.
Most departments are critically short of space to meet existing staff needs, either due to inadequate personal office space or inefficient layout of space in buildings poorly suited for the purpose.
There is a general shortage of support space – work areas, storage, conference rooms and reception areas in particular. Of this space, the proposed ASF will be adjusted downward based on departments sharing such space in the buildings to which they will be reallocated.
Because it is not cost effective to renovate every existing space to meet a standard, space will be sized to the approved office space standards only where departments move into new buildings, or into a completely repositioned building like the Steam Power Plant. Otherwise, existing rooms will be utilized to the greatest extent possible.

400-900 Category Space Calculation

There is modest space growth proposed for the remaining categories of 400 Library, 500 Special, 600 General and 700 Support; there is no space proposed for 800 Health or 900 Residential. The combined proposed 78,366 ASF represents a growth of 9,922 ASF, or 14%. Much of this growth is in Faculty or Student Commons space. The proposed ASF will be adjusted downward based on departments sharing such space in the buildings to which they will be reallocated.