If customizing an existing tool doesn’t meet a client’s needs, planners will work with the data & design tools group to create new tools that solve specific challenges. In one such case Patrick conceived of a tool that would help process complex data about science courses for Michigan State University (MSU). The university was building a new STEM building that was primarily comprised of teaching labs. On the whole, teaching labs usually experience lower utilization rates than classrooms due to the specialized nature of equipment, storage needs, etc. MSU, however, wanted its new building to be highly utilized. Designing teaching labs that could be used around-the-clock meant unlocking strategies to enable flexible lab design.
The data & design tools team ran with Patrick’s idea. They worked together to develop a dashboard that displayed live data for science courses—including the type of course, the class size, and more—and gave the design team the ability to assign each course to a lab prototype. The prototypes were developed to support all of the unique core attributes required to teach the range of STEM courses; however, the strategy also relies on appropriate equipment room and storage space so that specialized equipment could be moved in and out as needed, thereby enabling maximum flexibility. In the end, approximately twelve lab prototypes were developed to support the range of 100 and 200-level courses offered in the STEM disciplines.
The dashboard kept track of how many labs of each type would be needed to accommodate all classes, quantified how much space was left for backfill once the existing teaching labs moved into the new building, and specified, based on earlier analysis, whether that space could be reused for office, research, or teaching space. With the dashboard’s help in piecing together the puzzle, the Sasaki team found a way to efficiently program MSU’s new teaching labs, as well as thoughtfully and effectively reuse existing space on campus.
From Data to Decisions
While tools are essential for data collection and analysis, translating these numbers into priorities and strategies relies on human expertise. Once the quantitative analysis is defined, our planners collaborate with stakeholders to create actionable strategies that are well-informed and that address programmatic need.
At NAU, the planning team used data tools to understand and visualize the range and extreme variety in office size, type, and quantity across the university. Our visualization highlighted an inequity in office quantities and sizes across departments. To address this, the team developed a set of regularized office typologies and standards that can be deployed during renovation and new construction. The typologies are not meant to be confining; on the contrary, they serve as a flexible toolkit that can be drawn upon as designers work with individual units to implement projects.
Drawing from CoMap data collected at Pratt, the Sasaki planning team developed program statements that define Pratt’s space needs. These strategies—written for each of Pratt’s six schools, its first-year Foundation program, and the Brooklyn Campus Library—describe each program’s existing conditions, outline their needs, and suggest opportunities to optimize space use within each program’s building.
To Built Work and Beyond
From collecting data to charting a strategy, our space planning projects are designed to drive future projects. At both NAU and Pratt, the space analysis study serves as a precursor to a full master plan, providing a platform for multiple stakeholders to voice their needs early in the process. Because of the comprehensive nature of a space analysis study, planners can approach the master planning process with a global view, making connections between departments and crafting the plan from a more integrated and interdisciplinary perspective.
At Smith College, Sasaki’s Learning Space Master Plan defined a series of implementation projects, including the first project, a renovation of a classroom in Seelye Hall. Based on the principles defined in the Learning Space Plan, the classroom’s design will facilitate collaboration between students and faculty while supporting multiple learning activities such as lectures, discussions, group work, and team-based learning. Additionally, the renovated space will provide plenty of writing and projection surfaces for sharing ideas and information. The room’s technology is designed to function seamlessly and unobtrusively in learning activities, and when it is not in use, ample storage space allows the technology to be put away, removing the potential for distraction.
