Colleges Ontario is an advocacy organization representing the province’s 24 colleges and institutes that own and operate campuses totaling over 29,000,000 square feet and serve over 200,000 full-time students. These institutions do not have common inventory and space allocation standards to measure facilities use and needs in a consistent manner with one another and with other jurisdictions. The services of ECS have been retained by Colleges Ontario to develop such inventory and space allocation standards, in close consultation with the colleges themselves and other government stakeholders. The study is starting in December 2011 and is expected to be completed in 12 months. (2011-12-05)
Dalhousie University in Halifax recently completed its Strategic Focus and Campus Master Plans. In support of the implementation process, Brian, Michel, Oliver, Ryan and Hibaq are working on a series of planning studies and building projects. These include space programming for two new buildings (an interprofessional health education facility and a mixed-use residence complex); a review of the utilization of instructional space at all campuses; and a master space plan and space audit for Sexton Campus which houses the Faculty of Engineering and the Faculty of Architecture and Planning.
(2011-09-10)
CEU is a “crossroads university” located in Budapest that employs the educational organization of the American graduate school with a mission modelled in the intellectual traditions of Central Europe. (2011-08-03)
Postsecondary institutions in Alberta have experienced growth over the past decade, and many facilities are under pressure to continue to accommodate increasing enrolments and research activity. Alberta Advanced Education and Technology (AET) commissioned a study to deepen its understanding of space utilization and space management practices in the province and to inform the setting of capital priorities.
Michel and Francine looked into inventory management and activity reporting practices at five institutions - University of Calgary, NAIT, Mount Royal University, NorQuest College and Red Deer College - as well as province-wide inventory data compiled by AET and Alberta Infrastructure.
Our recommendations outline a method to standardize reporting of space requirements and facilitate the comparison of space supply and demand across the province. Michel presented the report findings and recommendations to a meeting of the Minister, Board Chairs and Institution Presidents in Calgary on March 28, 2011 after which the report was publically released.
(2011-05-10)
George Brown College is developing a new health sciences campus in a prime location on Toronto's waterfront. Michel led the development of the functional space program that guided the work of the design team. The new facility is currently under construction and can be seen in a webcam view on the GBC website.
(2011-05-10)
The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), with more than 3,000 students, 400 faculty and 26 academic departments, is the second largest college at Cornell University and the third largest college of its kind in the U.S. For more than two years, Brian and Waqas worked with Urban Strategic Inc. and Stantec Inc. to develop a Facilities Master Plan to assist CALS better manage its extensive holdings of academic buildings and lands.
The project is now completed with the formulation of a comprehensive accommodation plan and priority listing of capital projects matched to funding opportunities. A key recommendation is the development of a new Translational Science building on the Ithaca campus to bring together a broad range of life sciences disciplines in a dynamic, interdisciplinary teaching and research environment. (2011-05-10)