Our Corner of Space: Why planning matters

May 16, 2022

— Brittany Van Eck, space planner and leasing manager

Space planning, both at UAF and across a variety of institutions, is an important piece of the larger puzzle that works to make an organization flexible, planned, and poised for growth. How an entity uses its space, particularly when it has 3.9 million gross square feet like UAF does, determines how much an organization can grow or change using already allocated resources. In a state with challenging budgets, how we use and optimize our space is instrumental to our success and demonstrates how we are good stewards of resources.

My first month in this position was spent understanding what UAF had done for space planning, and more specifically, for space change decisions. UAF operates with a Space Planning Committee: a group of people who come together once a month to go through all of the space requests that have been submitted; these requests cover moves from one location to another, expansion plans, reduction in footprint plans including changes related to more flexible work arrangements, and changes in use of facilities (i.e. facility modification or space use changes). I compared our process and the logistics within that process to other schools. Using those examples, I created a new form and launched a new website to help improve our space intake process, saving time!

At a recent Chancellor’s Cabinet meeting, I shared the space planning process and its history, examples of space optimization, UAF metrics, my goals, and how space fits into the campus’s larger goals. Following the presentation we had an exciting conversation and I gathered feedback about what UAF’s leadership wants to see with respect to space planning. A common theme from that group is making modern, welcoming, and collaborative spaces for faculty, staff, and students. Do you know what? When we leverage our space, consider best practices, and get creative about how we think about our space, we have the ability to create those exact spaces!

I can say that each and every day I have a better understanding of why space matters - to both the institution and to the people. Space is personal and can be sensitive, which is why I am thinking about a space philosophy focused on benefits, modernization and improvement for the constituencies involved. My priority is to facilitate space in a way that makes a positive impact at UAF, and I believe that I can best do that with community inclusion and involvement. Please look for future communications from me about space related initiatives. I want to work with you and your teams to understand how flexible work arrangements might impact departments or units, and how UAF can continue to be efficient in terms of space use while also modernizing our footprint to improve our student experience. Feel free to reach out as you have questions about the current process.

Our Corner of Space is a column focused on optimizing UAF's space through the office of space planning and leasing.