Space Utilisation at Queen Margaret UniversityBenefits and Challenges

EAUC 14th Annual Conference

Presented by: Ivan Meyer

Overview

• Background: Relocation

• Implications for Space Management– Challenges– Benefits

• Future

Relocation Disposed of three different locations

moved to a purpose-built new campus.

Space changes: Areas

www.smg.ac.uk

ACADEMIC BUILDING CONCEPTS

Space changes: People

Space changes: Practice

• Open plan offices

• Separation of students and staff

• Drop-in rooms

• Hot desks• Centralised timetabling – Explicit goals to improve

space utilisation and reporting.

Space changes: Practice

• Open plan offices

• Separation of students and staff

• Drop-in rooms

• Hot desks

• Centralised timetabling

Challenges: Timetabling

• Change management– Communication

• Increased process complexity– Less space, different space, shared space

• Student experience• New technology: Moved from a manual timetabling

system with electronic bookings to automated timetabling and booking.

Benefits: Timetabling

• Balance: Utilisation vs student experience

• Automated conflict prevention (staff, students, rooms, availability)

• Reporting• Campus-wide awareness and

participation (Plasma screens)

• Modelling the effects of change

Future• Adapt to changing academic portfolio

• More ad-hoc commercial use

• Better space-to-need matching, without changing space

• Fine tune student experience constraints

• Increase utilisation

Questions