FACILITIES PLANNING RECOMMENDATIONS

These archived pages present the Academic Plan adopted by the Board of Trustees in August 2003.

A new academic plan is being formulated. Please check the Academic Plan homepage for updates.

OPERATING PRINCIPLES FOR FACILITIES AND PHYSICAL PLANNING

Four major aspects of the Operating Principles are:

• A. To recommend principles for establishing priorities for the 21st Century UConn building programconsistent with the Academic Plan.
• B. To create principles for research, laboratory, performance, and scholarship space.
• C. To create a model for classroom planning as a portion of 21st Century UConn Building programs.
• D. To create a process for establishing and to some extent standardizing internet and telephony needs, and to develop a process for building these systems into the 21st Century UConn building program.
  
  Principles for establishing priorities for 21st Century UConn include:
• The determination that the priorities for all projects planned for 21 st Century UConn are consistent with the Academic Plan.
• The immediate development of a classroom master plan and the earliest possible integration of that plan into 21st Century project planning.
• The consolidation of major programs whose facilities and faculty are currently dispersed among a number of locations in Storrs, including the Depot Campus.
• A continuing commitment to keep the formal teaching functions and department offices on the main campus at Storrs, and not to move them to the Depot Campus.
• The gradual reduction of the total number of buildings the university is responsible for maintaining, and, in general, the consolidation of various programs into fewer actual buildings.
• The achievement in our building and renovation projects of consistent minimal standards for effective work environments; including climate control, noise abatement, and environmentally sound facilities design and maintenance practices. These goals should drive all projects, including construction, renovation, and deferred maintenance.
• A continuing commitment to the needs of regional campuses consistent with academic priorities.
• The assurance of access for persons with disabilities in all new construction and in any renovations, to the greatest extent possible.
  
  Principles to aid in the construction and renovation of research, laboratory, performance, and scholarship space.

• Campus wide principles should be developed to aid in the construction and renovation of research, laboratory, performance, and scholarship space.
• It will be the responsibility of the principal academic client in partnership with facilities to develop each architectural program to include the appropriate size and configuration of research, laboratory, performance and scholarship space.
• All academic buildings will be assigned to an appropriate designated administrator for the purposes of facility coordination and maintenance review.
• Appropriate academic gathering space will be considered in every building and renovation plan.
  
  Principles for classroom planning include:

• A master plan for classroom and budget development will be created and regularly monitored as to its progress and evolving needs, including maintenance.
• The classroom master plan will accommodate a range of classroom sizes from approximately 500 down to seminar rooms in response to the need at the Storrs campus for an array of classroom sizes and configurations.
• This plan will take into account enrollment projections, classroom capacity, and faculty scheduling to provide for the broadest possible array of class times and days, in order to maximize effective use of classroom space.
• Classrooms will be spread throughout the Storrs campus with a mix of different styles of classrooms in particular buildings. Classrooms will generally be on the first two floors of buildings that are also occupied by department offices, faculty offices, seminar rooms, laboratories, studios, and rehearsal rooms.
• In general, classrooms will be centrally scheduled.
• Although certain types of non-standard classrooms, laboratories, or rehearsal rooms may be scheduled locally, all information regarding the use of all classrooms will be centrally
  collected and available.
• The master plan for classroom and budget development will manifest itself as assignments of classroom space for every academic building planned, whether new construction or intended renovation.
• It will be the responsibility of the principal academic client in partnership with facilities to develop each architectural program to include the appropriate amount of classroom space as required by the master plan. Each client group will have a representative from the Provost's Office to monitor how classrooms are being developed.
• All academic buildings will be assigned to an appropriate designated administrator for the purposes of facility coordination, maintenance review, and general scheduling.
• All academic building projects will have a project coordinator assigned by the principal client (Dean, Department Head) on the academic side to work with the project supervisor on the facilities side to help co-ordinate information within the client group.
• Appropriate gathering and multipurpose space will be considered in future residence hall planning to provide for living-learning partnerships and to support community-building efforts.
• This process will, as much as possible, seek to integrate disciplines and promote inter-disciplinary collaborations.
• Appropriate academic gathering space will be considered in every building and renovation plan.
  
  In order to establish appropriately standardized internet and telephony links across campus :

• A master plan for computing, telephony needs, and internet connections will be developed for the University.
• Appropriate standards will be set for basic computing packages for faculty and students, including email, operating system, and internet access.
• The master plan for computing will be a part of the program development for all current and future building or renovation activities throughout the University. All building projects will be reviewed at the programming and design phase to meet university standards for computing.
  

Next: Facilities Planning Recommendations: Priority Recommendations