Dive Brief
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A report from Occuspace indicates that higher education institutions have improved their space utilization, particularly in classrooms and offices, with a peak utilization increase of 6 to 8 basis points from the previous year. However, recreation and lab spaces saw declines.
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Despite improvements, small and medium conference rooms remain underutilized, with occupancy at 73% during the work week, and classrooms are left unoccupied nearly a third of the time.
Dive Insight
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Classroom utilization rates increased to 47% and office use reached 45%, marking the largest year-over-year gain since the COVID recovery began. If this trend continues, usage rates could reach 50% by fall, though they still fall short of the 70-85% targets set by many institutions.
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Larger institutions with centralized scheduling are more efficient in utilizing classrooms, but not their offices due to researchers managing multiple office spaces.
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Opportunities for operational savings through better space optimization could yield significant reductions in costs related to custodial services and HVAC, potentially saving $30 to $60 per square foot annually. It also helps avoid new construction costs, which can reach $600 per square foot.
Case Studies
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BHDPC‘s work with Mount St. Joseph University and Bethany College illustrates how small changes can enhance space usage and save costs.
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At Mount St. Joseph, renovations to the library created inviting student spaces, while Bethany College expanded its fitness center to increase capacity without the need for a new facility.
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Such creative space optimization strategies can meet student needs effectively without straining budgetary resources.
