As colleges and universities see increased numbers of students, they often need to expand their facilities to accommodate more people. No matter how it plans to expand, a school will need to make sure that it has a solid plan in place before starting construction.
Evaluate Your Current Resources
While budgeting might not be the most fun part of planning, it is a necessary step to making sure that a project is successful. When creating your budget, evaluate your resources and see what else is available to help your university expand. You may need to get creative with your funds if you do not think you have enough money to construct new buildings.
Use Nearby Historic Buildings
An unused historic building close to your school’s campus could provide the extra space you need. Adaptive reuse is a new method of expansion that colleges have embraced. This allows them to revamp a building, repurpose it, and add character to their campus. You may find an old office building that could easily be converted into more classrooms. Plus, updating an old building could save you money overall.
Be Honest About What You Need
The key to successfully planning your school’s growth is to figure out what you need. This means you will have to go through your plans and cut out any excessive plans that will not benefit the students attending the university. In other words, consider cutting any extras out of the plan, such as decorative features. This allows you to keep your goal of providing a functional space for students in focus.
Think About Environmental Impact
If you are constructing a new building, strive for a net-zero addition, meaning that the new section consumes as much energy as it produces, balances water availability and demand, and does not produce waste. While this may seem like a lofty goal, today’s technology has made this achievable and preserve the world for future generations. To conserve energy, try a passive building design, solar panels, and efficient lighting. Water can be conserved by using low volume plumbing fixtures, reusing non-potable water, and planting native flora. To reduce waste, you can try composting, recycling, and trash sorting.
As more students attend colleges, they expand to accommodate these people. The key to successfully expanding your college campus is to prepare thoroughly by evaluating your resources, using nearby historic buildings, being honest about what you need, and thinking about your environmental impact.