The Agile Planner

Can New Science Buildings Champion Environmental Stewardship?
October 25, 2007, Harvard Faculty Club, Cambridge

Overview

Many colleges and universities are significantly adding to and improving their science facilities while their goals for sustainability are being steadily raised. The 2007 Agile Planner Workshop was held on Thursday, October 25 at the Harvard Faculty Club in Cambridge, MA. The morning workshop provided answers to the question, "Can New Science Buildings Champion Environmental Stewardship?" Harvard's Allston campus initiative and specifically, the innovative First Science Complex anchored the discussion.

Speakers

• David Cook, Partner - Behnisch Architects | Stuggart, Germany
• Allison Nichols - Program Manager for Science - Allston Development Group | Harvard University
• Leith Sharp - Director, Harvard Green Campus Initiative | Harvard University
• Nathalie Beauvais, Principal Architect for Design - Allston Development Group | Harvard University
• Moderated by:
  Victoria V. Sirianni - Higher Education Consultant

Download presentations from the 2007 Agile Planner here:

David Cook
Leith Sharp

The Challenge of Unifying Capital Projects through Campus Planning and Open Space Design
May 2, 2006, The University of Massachusetts, Boston

Overview:

With today's fast paced project delivery, the traditional notion of a static campus plan that provides the basis for capital project development is being turned on its head. Campus plans sometimes progress in parallel with capital plans or may even occur after capital projects are designed. The workshop explored two case studies: The UMASS Amherst Campus Landscape Improvements Plan and the Brown University Campus Development Plan. Each provided insight into how diverse capital building projects produced synergy on their campus.

Presenters

• Francis Haslband, FAIA, Brown University Design Consultants
• Michael McCormick, AIA, Director of Planning, Brown University
• James Cahill, Director, Facilities Planning Division, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
• Cliff Resnick,AIA, Assistant Director for Planning, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
• Moderated by: Victoria V. Sirianni, Higher Eduation Consultant

Download presentations from the 2006 Agile Planner here:

Brown University

How Campus Leadership Affects Project Delivery
November 9, 2005, MIT University Park Hotel, Cambridge, MA

Overview

Institutions of Higher Education are currently engaged in campus renewal and expansion. Unlike the boom of the 1960's however, these building projects are more often daring and the process of project delivery far more complex. Coupled with the unique character of higher education, the stakes are higher than they have ever been. The workshop involved a discussion on the delivery process and how administrators and managers make decisions.

Our hypothesis is that leadership and internal process needs to be tailored to the specifics and culture of each institution. We proposed an interactive discussion to try to find a common ground.

Campus Energy Needs: Sustainable Facility and Infrastructure Solutions
April 29, 2004, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA

Overview

A discussion addressing factors affecting campus energy needs, such as costs and availability, geopolitical events, and potential climate changes, as well as institutional responses such as green buildings and site solutions and effective purchasing and management.

Presenters

• John DiFava, Director of Security and Campus Police Services, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
• Robert Breslow, Director of Administrative Services, Harvard Business School
• Daniel O'Neill, Founder and President, Applied Risk Management
• Dr. Carole Wharton, Managing Associate, McManis & Monsalve Associates

Successful Campus Stewardship: Strategies for Funding Facilities and Infrastructure.

Overview

Colleges and universities enjoyed an expansion of campus facilities during the prosperity of the 1990s, the magnitude of which has not been seen since the 1960s. Institutions of higher education now face the daunting challenge of preserving assets already constructed, while completing repairs that might have been overlooked during the "good times." Moreover, the annual competition for capital and operating resources has intensified.

How can planners and managers operate effectively at the budget table under these conditions and defend infrastructure expeditures - given such needs often lack a core constituency?

Presenters

Keynote Address:
Successful Campus Stewardship: Strategies for Funding Facilities and Infrastructure
David A. Kadamus, Principal and Founder, Sightlines

David illustrated the workshop theme by describing credible tools and strategies for allocating financial resources to campus facility and infrastructure needs.
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Presentation 1: Preserving Infrastructure Assets at a Private University:
The Importance of Academic Mission
John J. Noonan, P.E., Associate Vice President for Facilities Management, Brown University

John reviewed Brown's history of deferred maintenance and capital programs and examined what the University has or has not done to preserve the building portfolio. John also highlighted one of the University's largest academic investments in its 239-year history - the multi-year Proposal for Academic Enrichment.

Presentation 2: Behind the Scenes in the University Boardroom:
How Decision Makers Assess Facility Expenditures
Larry Goldstein, President, Campus Strategies

Larry Goldstein currently helps higher education clients address facilities needs and finance issues from the perspective of the board of trustees. His presentation addressed the challenges faced by trustees when asked to approve facilities projects/budgets; how facilities needs compete with other priorities when limited financial resources are being allocated; and proven strategies for increasing resources allocated to facilities. Mr. Goldstein drew upon his 20 years of financial administration experience at institutions of higher education and his knowledge of a large number of other institutions through leadership with the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO).
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The Impact of the Sciences on Campus Planning and Facilities

Overview

Science education has changed dramatically in the last 100 years. Institutions are making choices regarding allocation of science resources, often with significant impacts on campus planning and design. Many universities are now renovating existing buildings or constructing new ones to support the new physical requirements of the sciences. Three presentations, each from a unique perspective, shed light on Yale University’s science hill planning and design efforts from developing the vision, to making a strategic plan and implementing it. To begin the discussion, a special keynote address gave participants an overview of the future of the sciences and a reminder of why the facilities are important.

Presenters

Keynote Address:
Perspective: The Future of Science
Protein-Based Three-Dimensional Memories and Associative Processors
Robert R. Birge, Ph.D., Harold S. Schwenk Sr. Distinguished Professor of Biological Chemistry at the University of Connecticut, and University Professor and Director of the W. M. Keck Center at Syracuse.
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Presentation 1: The Academic Perspective
Pierre Hohenberg, Associate Provost for Science and Technology

From the academic perspective, Pierre Hohenberg reviewed the role of the Science Hill Taskforce in formulating the Science Hill Plan, the projection of space needs and distribution of programs into buildings, the presentation of the plan to the faculty and University leadership, and issues of flexibility in implementation.

Presentation 2: The Consultant View
Tim Winstead, Director of Science and Technology, Freelon Group

From the consultant perspective, Tim Winstead described the factors that influenced the development of the Science Hill Plan, such as current conditions, program goals, campus planning issues, architectural character, and will present the Plan and its implementation.
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Presentation 3: The Facilities View
Robert Dincecco, Associate Director, Yale Office of Facilities

From the facilities planning perspective, Bob Dincecco will review the planning context for the Science Hill Plan within the Yale Campus and the University’s approach to the implementation of individual projects using the new Chemistry Research Building as an example.Download a copy of the presentation (Adobe Acrobat required)

Greening the Campus

Overview

Implementing sustainability on campuses is a challenge for any institution. What are practical, cost-effective ways to meet this challenge? How does sustainability fit within an existing master plan? How can these principles be incorporated into real projects? How do you get administration and campus community buy-in for these changes?

Presenters

Session 1: Asking the Right Questions: Tools for Greening the Ivory Tower
Sarah Hammond Creighton
Tufts Climate Initiative

Reducing environmental impacts on campus is conceptually simple, but difficult in practice. The effort requires diligence, creative thinking, and knowledge of a range of environmental issues. Asking the right questions and evaluating the answers can help to jumpstart and support a campus environmental stewardship effort. Sarah Hammond Creighton, Project Manager of the Tufts Climate Initiative, will use the experience of greening Tufts University to help planners integrate environmentally friendly practices into business operations in order to reduce waste, save money, and minimize environmental impacts.
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Session 2: Implementing a Green Campus: Setting & Achieving Goals at MIT
John Rivers, AIA
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Venturing into the new frontier, MIT, through its Green Building Task Force, has established long-range campus-wide sustainability goals. In addition, LEED Silver has been established as the baseline for all new capital projects. John Rivers, Senior Project Development Manager, will give an overview of MIT's Green Campus initiatives' goals and achievements. He will utilize examples from the ongoing capital projects program to demonstrate how long-term goals can be achieved, a step at a time, to create a greener campus.
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Managing the Planning and Design Process

Overview

The Spring 2002 Agile Planner Workshop focused on managing short-term and long-term campus space and planning needs. The workshop consisted of two presentations, each followed by a discussion, allowing attendees to ask questions of the presenters and each other. The presenters have accumulated decades of experience in needs assessment, planning, and facility design. Their perspective, combined with that of the other participants, made for a lively and informative morning.

Presenters

Dan Paulien
President
Paulien & Associates, Inc.
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James Brassord
Director of Facilities Planning and Management
Amherst College
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Changing Standards for Student Living: Planning and Design of Residence Halls

Overview

The Conference provides college, university and preparatory school planners, architects and facilities managers a forum to access information, exchange ideas and develop tools to plan and implement the long-term capital improvement projects.

Presenters

James R. Sears
Assistant Vice President for Facilities Planning and Management
Wayne State University
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John J. Noonan
Associate Vice President for Facilities Management
Brown University
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Amy Floresta, A.I.A.
Project Manager
KieranTimberlake Associates, LLP
Yale University, Berkeley College Project
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Managing Vehicles on Campus: Policy, Planning and Implementation

Overview

This year’s Spring Workshop included case studies, discussion and question and answer sessions with campus planners, university architects and consultants on managing vehicles on campus. Presenters included planners from Dartmouth College and Clark University.

Presenters

Margaret Dyer Chamberlain
Associate Provost
Dartmouth College
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Jack Wilson
Assistant Director of Facilities Planning
Dartmouth College
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Jack Foley
Executive Assistant to the President/Director of Government Relations
Clark University
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Thomas Huf
Principal Planner/Architect,
S E A Consultants, Inc.
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Implementing Capital Projects: Balancing Long-Term Campus Development with Individual Project Needs

Overview

Urban universities are under increasing pressure to improve campus access, safety and to create and improve the "green" environment. Development pressures and increased vehicular traffic in surrounding communities make providing access for cars, trucks, bicycles and pedestrians a central issue. Planners and architects are challenged to make these improvements on limited, valuable land. In this high density context, planners, project managers and design consultants are charged with the responsibility to design and build complex projects and implement infrastructure improvements within tight budgets and schedule constraints. This workshop will explore the issue of balancing individual project needs with long-range campus operations and planning.

Presenters

Victoria Sirianni
Director of Facilities
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

David Zewinski
Associate Dean for Physical Resources and Planning
Harvard University Faculty of Art and Sciences (FAS)

Richard Newton
Senior Landscape Architect
Olin Partnership

Thomas Huf
Principal Planner/Architect
S E A Consultants

Paul Smith
Senior Project Planner
Rizzo Associates