Planning for Higher Education Journal

The need for an institution's physical plant meet changing requirements of a modern university is common to most campuses. The simple solution of demolishing old building new facilities is not always the most cost effective solution. A structure evaluation can help in deciding whether renovation or new construction makes more sense. A feasibility evaluation is made up of the following steps, in order: 1. "Current condition" including age prior renovation and maintenance reserve expenditure, and ASF/GSF ratio which help in determining suitability for current occupancy an aid in establishing for future investment. 2. "Current/future Occupancy" which relates future expenditures to overall institutional goals, 3. "Capital costs", a comparsion of labor and material costs or renovation versus construction, 4. "Operating costs" which are taken from exsisiting operating costs over two year period compared projections with renovation and new contruction options. Following such a program will allow more well informed decisions to be made about renovation versus new construction and will allow an institution to maintain technologically current facilities while maintaining a superior aesthetic enviroment.

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