Whether planning, design, and construction (PDC) of buildings should be part of facilities management, with its traditional operations and maintenance functions, or separated from it, has been a divisive question on many campuses for a long time. Now, although it is not happening everywhere, facilities managers at a number of institutions, public…

This article reports on the historical meeting that took place March 23, 1914, with nearly a dozen "Association of Superintendents of Buildings and Grounds" leaders from Central Western Colleges and Universities in Chicago, IL. At that time, the term "superintendent of buildings and grounds" had only been adopted around the…

Community college enrollments usually rise during tough economic times and the recent recession and slow recovery are no exception. According to the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), the number of students attending community colleges has grown dramatically in the last decade to about 12.4 million last fall. The AACC says that 1.4…

Nearly every institution is faced with the situation of having to reduce the cost of a construction project from time to time through a process generally referred to as "value engineering." Just the mention of those words, however, gives rise to all types of connotations, thoughts, and memories (usually negative) for those in the…

There has been a tremendous increase in use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in the design and construction industry. There have been numerous case studies that have documented the improvements. The majority of these improvements have focused on better coordination of design resulting in fewer Requests for Information and/or change orders.…

With detailed information about the costs and benefits of potential green investments, educational facilities can effectively evaluate which initiatives will ultimately provide the greatest results over the short and long term. Based on its overall goals, every school, college, or university will have different values and therefore different…

The ASTM E1557/UNIFORMAT II standard is a three-level, function-oriented classification which links the schematic phase Preliminary Project Descriptions (PPD), based on Construction Standard Institute (CSI) Practice FF/180, to elemental cost estimates based on R.S. Means Cost Data. With the UNIFORMAT II Standard Classification for Building…

Most colleges and universities have taken great strides in recent years to embrace "being green." As part of this process, many institutions have established an Office of Sustainability or similar department to implement these practices and foster the image of environmental consciousness that the universities want to project. Institutions are…

Discusses the process of "commissioning" for effectively maintaining and verifying new construction needs for campus facilities on a continuous improvement basis. The Emory University facility management program illustrates how to develop and manage a building commissioning process. (GR)

Explains what delivery-order contracting (DOC) is and how it can be used to provide a cost effective, efficient, and less acrimonious environment when doing low-bid contracting. The benefits of the DOC are discussed, such as compressing the acquisition time; reducing maintenance, repair, and renovation backlogs; and reducing up-front costs.…

Reviews the types of facility construction project delivery methods and the concerns that facility owners have when embarking on a construction program. The considerations that should guide the owner in selecting the proper delivery method are highlighted. (GR)

Discusses the implications for higher education institutions in terms of facility planning, design, construction, and renovation of the move from regionally-developed model-building codes to two international sets of codes. Also addresses the new performance-based design option within the codes. (EV)

Discusses how the leadership at the University of Missouri System addressed the people, cultural, political, technical, and structural issues surrounding the planning and construction of a $50 million performing arts center. A leadership model is described based on the school's successful performance in managing the project's many critical issues.…

Explains how the "green building" approach to educational facilities design creates healthy, naturally lit, attractive buildings with lower operating and life cycle costs. Tips on getting started on a green design and overcoming the barriers to the green design concept are discussed. (GR)

Describes the tasks of a construction project manager: listening, offering alternative solutions, translating needs into facilities components, assuring adequate funding, and tracking and facilitating the project. Also asserts that there should be one person handling all phases of the project for the customer. (EV)