Contents 1Introduction to the project 4

1.11Summary

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  Despite a decade of attention being paid to Space Management in HEIs, progress towards improving the efficiency of their estates has been slow. Space management practice is variable and there has been little progress in raising awareness of the space costs and the potential for savings from improved space management.
  

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  A lack of will at top management level within HEIs has meant that even where space management techniques are in place, they have often not been used to drive significant efficiencies.
  

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  The two prerequisites for increased efficiency are
  

1. 
   Sophisticated data analysis
   
2. 
   A space management champion at high level within the organisation, to progress change over a protracted time period.
   

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  The space management ‘toolkit’ includes:
  

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  space data systems, space audit and data analysis
  
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  space allocation by standards or by agreement with users
  
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  central timetable for some proportion of teaching rooms
  
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  space utilisation surveys
  
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  re-configuration of space
  
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  space charging
  
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  new ways of using space
  
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  benchmarking, including EMS data in the UK
  
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  performance indicators
  

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  But neither the detail of how to implement these tools, nor their effectiveness, are well-understood by the sector as a whole.
  

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  Issues of efficiency and effectiveness of space should be brought to the attention of top university management.
  

3Case study methodology

The research started with a review of the literature on space management, particularly in the HE sector. Previous studies (DEGW, 2000, IPD & GVA Grimley, 2000) include recent literature reviews, but with a different focus from this project. They were useful pointers, especially to the UK literature. They also highlighted the paucity of sources outside the UK, other than in the US and Australia.

Following the literature review, the project proposal allowed for visits to six HEIs to explore their space management practice. The visits were carried out between July and October 2001.

1.12Sampling

There is no quantitative way of identifying which universities operate best practice, and a combination of different approaches was therefore used to select institutions for interviews:

An invitation to collaborate was circulated to Heads of Estates by means of the AUDE mailbase, together with a request to recommend HEIs known to operate well-developed space management practices. This elicited 16 responses. Contacts made at AUDE events suggested further examples of good practice. Nine universities were contacted, resulting in 6 visits. They are anonymous due to the sensitivity of some of the information collected.
The bid proposed working with the East Midlands consortium of Universities in their project for development of the SPACEMAP system, but this was delayed, limiting the potential for collaboration.

1.13Interviews

A pilot visit to Edinburgh University, together with the literature review, formed the basis for a detailed list of questions, which was sent to each interviewee before the visit. In some cases the interview was with a single space manager, and in other cases with two or more individuals involved in space management and operating the central timetable. The study draws on the views of space managers, not the great variety of employees using space, and to that extent is a partial view of the subject.

1.14Summary

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  The project used a literature review to design a pilot agenda for interviews with space managers believed to be operating good space management practice.
  

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  After a pilot interview, the space managers at six other HEIs were interviewed over the period July to October 2001.
  

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  A combination of different approaches was used to select institutions for interview, including the AUDE mailbase.
  

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  The study is based on the views of space managers, not the employees using space, and to that extent is a partial view of the subject.
  

Directory: estates
estates -> Dear friends and neighbours
estates -> King’s College Estates Records
estates -> Catalogue compiled by Jude Brimmer from a card catalogue by Michael Stansfield at the King’s College Archive Centre, Cambridge, as part of the ‘Promotion of Public Access to the King’s College Estates Records’ project supported by the Heritage Lottery
estates -> Fuel Card No Fuel Type Diesel/Petrol/Electric/Other Mileage

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