Modelling Current And Future Space Demands
Whilst one of the key purposes of this infoKit is to encourage you to be radical about your vision for the future we recognise that your institution will inevitably be benchmarked against norms for the sector. The UK HE Space Management Group's website provides an excellent source of information about such norms and its reports section also includes information about the LSC approach to space utilisation in FE.
The SMG has produced the following useful summary of how various internal factors may affect future demands for space:
| Driver | Reduced space use | Changed use within envelope | Increased space use |
| Institutional planning & management | Changed teaching/research mix | ||
| Extended teaching day/week/year | More space for taught postgraduate and research students | ||
| Staff working away from institution | Increased community use of facilities | New central infrastructure functions | |
| Better space management techniques | Higher standard/more extensive student facilities | ||
| Increased student-staff ratios, leading to unit space savings | |||
| Remodelling and better design of new space | |||
| Changes to teaching and learning | Workplace-based and itinerant learning | Changed approaches to library use | Partnerships with other institutions |
| New mix of teaching space sizes | |||
| IT use leading to more flexible space use | |||
| Increased social/group work space for student-led learning | |||
| Disciplinary Changes | Size reductions and improvements to equipment | Changed equipment needs | New research fields requiring specialist facilities |
| Specialist space for social science and humanities work | |||
