SuperBuild Facilities Expansion at Western

In the spring of 2000, the Government of Ontario provided Western with a total of $42.9 million in capital funding for the University's SuperBuild Projects. SuperBuild at Western involves the construction of three new buildings on the Co nstituent University campus, an essential step in Western's plan to accommodate the anticipated increase in enrolment resulting from the Double Cohort and the baby boom echo. On June 28, 2000 the proposals for the siting of the three new buildings were ap proved by Western's Board of Governors. Table 1 summarizes the updated status of the three new buildings.

We must now proceed quickly to plan for the use of space in the new buildings. This document contains the initial proposals for the allocation of space in the new buildings as well as realignment of some space in existing buildings. The proposals f ollow a series of consultations with Faculty Deans and Directors of Student Service units. These are preliminary proposals; comments/input are welcome and should be submitted directly to the Provost by November 2, 2000.

The explicit objective of the SuperBuild Initiative is to increase the capacity of the university system in Ontario. It is critical, therefore, that the primary factors driving the space allocation proposals be enrolment levels and teach ing activity. Increased enrolments and teaching activity will require substantial additional instructional facilities - classrooms and teaching laboratories must be given the highest priority in our new buildings. The increased enrolments must inevitably be accompanied by additional faculty and staff who in turn will require office and research space. Additional research space is essential as we compete for new faculty in a period when growing public support for research is evident in such programs as the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), the Ontario Innovations Trust (OIT), the Ontario Research Development Challenge Fund (ORDCF), the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR), the Canada Research Chairs (CRC), and expected increases to the Natu ral Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). Finally, the enrolment increases will also result in space pressures in support areas - in particular, in areas which provide direct ser vices to students.

Enrolment levels and the associated teaching activity are the major drivers of the space allocation proposals which follow. Over the past decade, Western's enrolment profile has changed significantly - with a substantial growth in under graduate and graduate programs with high space requirements (see Figure 1).

1.a. Undergraduate Enrolments

As Figure 2 shows, the most significant increases in undergraduate enrolment since 1996-97 have been in the Faculties of Health Sciences, Engineering Science, and Information and Media Studies. Enrolment in the Bachelor of Health Sciences progr am (BHSc), introduced in 1997-98, reached 646 in 1999-2000. Between 1996-97 and 1999-2000, as a result of the government's ATOP initiative, undergraduate enrolments in Engineering and Computer Science increased by 35% and 80% respectively. The undergradua te program in Media, Information, and Technoculture (MIT) was also introduced in 1997-98, and enrolment reached 321 in 1999-2000.

Western's SuperBuild proposals include a commitment to expanding undergraduate enrolment in the Constituent University by 2,100 students and graduate enrolment by 500 students by the year 2004-05. (Note that the total SuperBuild commitment is 3,480 students, which includes the Affiliated Colleges). The undergraduate expansion will take place primarily in first-entry programs in direct response to the upcoming Double Cohort. The ATOP initiative has yet to reach steady-state and further increases are projected for Engineering and Computer Science in the coming years. The BHSc and the MIT continue to grow and are expected to have steady-state enrolments of 1,100 and 450 respectively. Other expanding programs include Nursing, Honors Business Administra tion (HBA), Bachelor of Administrative and Commercial Studies (BACS), and the new undergraduate program in Basic Medical Sciences. The Double Cohort will also be accommodated by general expansion of direct-entry programs in Arts, Science, and Social Scien ce.

1.b. Graduate Enrolments

Figure 3 shows the changes in graduate enrolment at Western between 1996-97 and 1999-2000. Graduate enrolments in all programs have increased over the past few years, but the greatest increases were in Health Sciences, the Ivey School of Busine ss, Science, and Engineering. Expansion in Health Sciences is due to a new Ph.D. program in Rehabilitation Sciences and the conversion of undergraduate programs in the therapies to graduate programs. The increases in the Ivey School are due to expansions in the high-demand MBA program. The ATOP initiative has resulted in substantial increases in graduate enrolment in Engineering and Computer Science. Increases in all other graduate programs are due to planned expansion in areas of capacity and demand, inc reased success in research activities across the University, and the introduction of new graduate programs.

Table 2 summarizes Western's enrolment projections - approved by SCUP's Subcommittee on Enrolment Planning (SUEPP) - reflecting Western's SuperBuild commitment of 3,480 additional students (of which 2,600 are in the Constituent University) plus an additional 300 graduate students. Since the 300 additional students were not in our SuperBuild commitment, we will be seeking additional capital funds from the Province to accommodate them.

The space requirements associated with enrolment expansion will be felt not only in the program of student registration but also by those academic units sharing in the instruction of those students; expansion in particular programs will result in increased teaching activity in others. For example, the enrolment increases in Engineering and Health Sciences substantially increase teaching activity in Science and Medicine & Dentistry; enrolment increases in the MIT program result in in creased teaching activity in Arts and Social Science.

As shown in Figure 4, the largest increases in undergraduate teaching activity have taken place in Science, Health Sciences, Information and Media Studies, and Engineering. Future increases are projected across all Faculties, and are a function of teaching students within the home Faculty as well as teaching of students in other expanding programs. These increases in undergraduate teaching activity will place severe pressures on instructional facilities and on office and research space for the addi tional faculty members required to do the teaching.

Western has been extremely successful in recent provincial and federal research competitions. To-date $60 million in CFI/OIT/Matching funds has been secured in support of outstanding research initiatives in Engineering, Health Sciences, Medicine, Science, and Social Science. Of this $60 million, $11.5 million is targeted towards space/facilities requirements for these initiatives. Some of these initiatives must be housed in the new buildings while others will be accommodated through ren ovations to existing facilities.

Over the next 5 years, Western will be awarded a total of 64 Canada Research Chairs. Many of these CRCs will be in areas requiring substantial research space and must be accommodated in either the new buildings or in existing buildings.

The space allocation proposals outlined here address both the allocation of space in the new buildings and the realignment of space in existing buildings. All instructional facilities will be established as General University (GU) Facil ities except for highly specialized teaching laboratories. Responsibility for scheduling, maintenance, and upgrades of GU facilities will rest with the central university and responsibility for specialized teaching laboratories will rest with the Facultie s. Other space allocations to units (i.e. office space, meeting/service space, and research space) will be made as global allocations, and it is the responsibility of the Deans and Budget Unit Heads to allocate the space within their units based on priori ties.

As we proceed with construction of the new buildings, we will ensure that space does not exceed the Council of Ontario Universities (COU) and the Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities (MTCU) space standards, the same standards used in al l recent construction and renovation activities at Western. Our SuperBuild proposal included a commitment to achieving 30% efficiency in new space (i.e. operate with 70% of the space required by the COU/MTCU space standards) and therefore we will work wit h Deans and Budget Unit Heads to ensure that new space is designed efficiently.

Space reallocation is a difficult issue at any university. As Western moves ahead with the creation of substantial additional space, we must seek mechanisms that will allow for a more nimble and responsive space reallocation process in the future. As the enrolment and research profile of the various Faculties evolve, we must be in a position to reallocate space to areas of need.

Towards this end, a proposal dealing with the process of future space reallocation will be brought forward during the 2001-02 planning process. The proposal will involve regular reviews of space inventory and space entitlement based on COU/MTCU sta ndards and will link unit space to budget allocations. Responsibility for space lies both with the central university and with Deans and Budget Unit Heads. The central university makes space allocations to Faculties and support units and the Deans and Bud get Unit Heads are responsible for making the best use of the space in meeting the diverse needs of their Faculties and units.

Table 3 summarizes the space allocation proposals for the Advanced Technology Centre, expected to open in January of 2003.

• The Faculty of Engineering Science will be allocated a total of 31,700 Net Assignable Square Feet(NASF) of space in support of overall enrolment expansion and to accommodate the Faculty's activities currently housed in Elborn College. This will result in a consolidation of the Faculty of Engineering Science in four contiguous buildings: the Engineering Science Building, the ATC, the Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel, and the Bio-Engineering Building. The space freed-up in Elborn College will be allocated for other purposes described later in this document.
• It is proposed that the Bio-Engineering Building (BEB), originally created as a temporary facility, continue to be used by the Faculty of Engineering Science for support activities. Options include the relocation of the University Machine Shop, curren tly located in the Engineering Science Building, and its use for teaching laboratory equipment storage. Costs associated with the relocation of the University Machine Shop will be the responsibility of the University Machine Shop.
• A total of 10,400 NASF in the ATC will be allocated for CFI/OIT initiatives for which funding has been secured, including an estimated 4,200 NASF for the Biomedical Engineering initiative. The ATC will be designed in a manner that allows expansion to accommodate future successful CFI/OIT initiatives.
• A total of 8,000 NASF will be used to create GU classrooms - two 200-seat classrooms and two 50-seat classrooms.
• The University's Food Services operation will be allocated 2,000 NASF on a rental basis to establish a food outlet and to create a seating/gathering area. Costs of equipping the space will be funded by Food Services.
• The balance of the space will be used for other GU space requirements, including service/maintenance and information technology space requirements. A portion of this space will be available for future academic space requirements associated with the gr owth of enrolments and/or research activities.

Table 4 summarizes the space allocation proposals for the building to be sited next to the Visual Arts Building, the North Campus Building (NCB), expected to open in September of 2003.

• It is proposed that both the Department of Mathematics (now occupying 6,250 NASF in Middlesex College, excluding classrooms) and the Department of Applied Mathematics (now occupying 8,750 NASF in Western Science Centre, excluding classrooms) be reloca ted in the NCB. These moves will facilitate increased collaboration in teaching and research between the two Departments. Classrooms currently controlled by these two Departments in Middlesex College and the Western Science Centre will be converted to GU status. Both Departments will continue to have access to these existing classrooms and to new classrooms in the NCB. The proposed use of space liberated in Middlesex College and the Western Science Centre is described later in this document.
• At present, there are a number of instructional Biology labs in the Staging Building, built about 30 years ago as a temporary facility. These Biology labs are used to teach many of our first- and second-year Biology students. It is proposed that these labs be relocated to the NCB (16,000 NASF) in modern state-of-the-art teaching facilities. The proposed use of liberated space in the Staging Building is described later in this document.
• An additional 3,000 NASF will be provided to the Faculty of Science in support of space requirements resulting from increased teaching activity. The Dean of Science will be authorized to allocate this space to areas of priority.

• A total of 15,600 NASF will be used to create GU classrooms - one 300-seat classroom, two 200-seat classrooms, two 100-seat case-style classrooms, and two 50-seat classrooms.
• In order to meet future research space needs 6,000 NASF is being set aside as GU research space, and will be allocated in the future as the details of specific needs become clear, perhaps arising from additional successful CFI/OIT initiatives or the C anada Research Chairs program.
• The University's Food Services operation will be allocated 2,000 NASF on a rental basis to establish a food outlet and to create a seating/gathering area. Costs of equipping the space will be funded by Food Services.
• The balance of the space will be used for other GU space requirements, including service/maintenance and information technology space requirements. A portion of this space will be available for future academic space requirements associated with the gr owth of enrolments and/or research activities.

Table 5 summarizes the space allocation proposals for the new building to be located on the existing site of J.W. Little Stadium, the South Valley Building (SVB), expected to open in May of 2004.

• It is proposed that the Faculty of Health Sciences Dean's Office and related administrative offices (currently occupying 2,200 NASF in the Health Sciences Addition) be relocated to the SVB, liberating space for use by the expanding Nursing program.

• The undergraduate program in Health Sciences (BHSc), introduced in 1997-98, has expanded rapidly. In 1999-2000, full-time enrolment in the program was 646. Moreover, total full-time enrolment in the Faculty of Health Sciences has grown from 1,700 in 1 996-97 to 2,600 in 1999-2000 - an increase of 53%. This dramatic increase has been accommodated to date by way of a very modest allocation two years ago of transitional space (3,700 NASF) in Somerville House. It is proposed that the BHSc program be reloca ted to the SVB and allocated an additional 4,100 NASF. This additional space will also support the new Ph.D. program in Rehabilitation Sciences. The Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences will be authorized to allocate this space based on the Faculty's pr iorities and needs.
• Many student service operations and retail operations are already in need of increased space; as enrolments increase in the coming years, their space demands will increase further. In order to accommodate these needs, the Vice-President (Administratio n) is currently discussing with the University Students' Council options for realignment of space in the UCC. As part of the anticipated realignment in the UCC, it is proposed that Student Health Services and Staff/Faculty Health Services (10,000 NASF) be relocated to the SVB, creating flexibility in the UCC to allow for expansion of other student services and the University Book Store.
• A total of 21,600 NASF will be used to create GU classrooms - one 800-seat classroom, one 500-seat classroom, two 100-seat case-style classrooms, and two 50-seat classrooms.
• Demand for instructional computer labs continues to increase at Western. Four 50-seat GU computer labs will be established in the SVB (7,000 NASF).

• In order to meet future research space needs, 10,000 NASF is being set aside as GU research space, and will be allocated in the future as the details of specific needs become clear, perhaps arising from additional successful CFI/OIT initiatives or the Canada Research Chairs program.
• The University's Food Services operation is being allocated 5,000 NASF on a rental basis to establish a food outlet and to create a seating/gathering area. Costs of equipping the space will be funded by Food Services.
• The balance of the space will be used for other GU space requirements, including service/maintenance and information technology space requirements. A portion of this space will be available for future academic space requirements associated with the gr owth of enrolments and/or research activities.

Table 6 summarizes the preliminary proposals regarding instructional facilities in the three new buildings. A total of 52,200 NASF is being allocated for GU classrooms and computer labs. Further review of the proposals is required, and therefore the number and size of the rooms may change - but the overall space allocation for classrooms is not expected to change.

The proposals for the allocation of new space described in section D will liberate space in existing buildings that can be utilized to address the space needs of expanding academic activities across the university. The following initiati ves are proposed:

1. Let's Talk Science (currently in the Health Science Addition) be relocated to Elborn College space vacated by the Faculty of Engineering Science. The amount of space and associated costs will be discussed with Let's Talk Science.
2. Space vacated by Let's Talk Science (1,900 NASF) and by the offices of the Dean of Health Sciences (2,200 NASF) in the Health Sciences Addition be allocated to Nursing to accommodate expanding graduate and undergraduate programs.
3. Activity-based programs in the Faculty of Health Sciences - degree-credit courses in Kinesiology,Campus Recreation, and Intercollegiate Athletics - require additional activity space. It is proposed that teaching currently done in Alumni Hall be transferred to the new large classrooms. Scheduling of activities in Alumni Hall will continue to be done through the central university, but priority will be given to the Faculty of Health Sciences for activity-based programs. The Dean of Health Science s will assign the space based on priorities within the Faculty.
4. Enrolments in the Faculty of Education have increased substantially. The Faculty has been able to accommodate the increases but some instructional facilities at Althouse College require renovations. These renovations will be funded by the Unive rsity's capital budget in 2001-02 and 2002-03.
5. The MIT program in the Faculty of Information and Media Studies (FIMS) continues to grow rapidly, creating serious space pressures within the Faculty. FIMS will be allocated 3,100 NASF of space in Middlesex College vacated by the Department of Mathematics -- 2,100 NASF for faculty offices and research space, and the remaining 1,000 NASF for a multi-media instructional facility to be established by FIMS in collaboration with the Faculties of Arts and Music. Costs of equipping the facility, futur e upgrades, and on-going operating costs will be the responsibility of the three Faculties involved in the initiative.
6. The Centre for Women's Studies and Feminist Research (CWSFR) and the Centre for Research in Violence Against Women and Children (CRVAWC), currently located in University College, be relocated to space in Middlesex College vacated by the Department of Mathematics. The two centres will be allocated a total of 2,200 NASF, an increase of 500 NASF.
7. The space liberated by the relocation of CWSFR and CRVAWC be allocated to the Faculty of Arts. The Faculty also will be a partner, with the Faculty of Information and Media Studies and the Faculty of Music, in the new multi-media instructional facility to be established in Middlesex College.
8. The Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry is also facing space shortages associated with expanding programs and increased research activity. Additional space is being provided through the Dental Facilities Project already underway and by way of eff iciencies arising in the Medical Building Project, now in design stages. The proposed GU classrooms in the new buildings will be available to the Faculty's new undergraduate program in Basic Medical Sciences.
9. The Faculty of Music will be a partner in the proposed multi-media instructional facility in Middlesex College. Some of the proposed new classrooms in the South Valley Building (SVB) will be designed to accommodate music instruction.
10. ATOP-related expansion in Computer Science must be supported by additional space. A total of 7,500 NASF in the Western Science Centre liberated by the relocation of the Department of Applied Mathematics will be returned to the Faculty of Science. The Dean of Science will be authorized to allocate this space to Computer Science and other activities based on priorities within the Faculty.
11. Incremental space for faculty offices be made available to the Faculty of Social Science by converting some small, under-utilized seminar rooms in the Social Science Centre to office space, creating 2,800 NASF in additional office space. The De an of Social Science will be authorized to allocate this space based on priorities within the Faculty.
12. The University Library System is short of both storage space and student study space. A total of 15,000 NASF in the Staging Building vacated by the relocation of instructional Biology labs will be allocated for library storage space. This alloc ation will allow for reconfiguration of space in the Weldon Library to create additional student study space. Due to load-bearing limitations, library storage in the Staging Building will be restricted to the main floor, requiring some reconfiguration.

13. As indicated earlier, the Vice-President (Administration) is in the midst of discussions with the University Students' Council (USC) regarding space realignment in the University Community Centre (UCC). It is anticipated that these discussions will ma ke available much needed additional space for student service operations such as Campus Recreation and the Student Development Centre and for the University's Food Services Operation.
14. The University Book Store is experiencing severe space shortages. One proposal would be to allocate the space vacated by Student Health Services in the UCC to the University Book Store. This space is contiguous to the current Book Store locatio n. An alternative proposal is the construction of an addition to the UCC to provide additional space to the Book Store.
15. The University requires additional space for Special Needs Exams. A total of 900 NASF of space in a building on the west side of Western Road, contiguous to space already occupied by operations of the Student Development Centre (SDC), will be a llocated for this purpose. Current SDC space on the west side of Western Road already houses some of the special needs exam rooms.
16. During the current academic year, it is hoped that the Western Centre for Continuing Studies (WCCS) will relocate most of its activities to downtown London. The Office of Institutional Planning and Budgeting would then move into space vacated by WCCS, creating flexibility in the Stevenson-Lawson Building for other administrative space needs.
17. The proposed siting of the new South Valley Building will require the demolition of the J.W. Little Stadium and the Graphics Building. Additional parking and two athletic fields will be created on the liberated land. The University conti nues to work on a plan for additional parking in the Althouse College precinct adjacent to Western Road.

A number of general points require repetition and elaboration.

Western's experience over the past five years has underscored the fact that, no matter how well a building might fit today's requirements, its real value is ultimately assessed by its ability to adapt to new, always unforeseen, demands of tomorrow' s research and educational priorities. An overarching priority in all of these construction projects will be to design and build space that can adapt to a variety of functions, that can assume new configurations at minimum expense, and that can be enlarge d as additional demands arise. Such flexibility will leave a legacy that will be appreciated by those faced with space needs very different from those we now experience at Western.

Once these projects are turned over to those responsible for detailed planning, it is critical that efficiencies be sought at every turn and that the COU/MTCU space standards, as well as the initial budgets not be exceeded. The Office of Institutio nal Planning & Budgeting and the Physical Plant Department will support Deans in whatever way possible but final responsibility for the alignment of these projects with operational needs and within available capital resources must rest with the Deans and unit heads involved.

Additional space needs already loom on the horizon, most obviously associated with future success in CFI/OIT projects, the CRC program, and anticipated enrolment expansion. As much as we welcome these opportunities, we must be realistic and prudent about the additional demands they will place on Western's facilities. The modest amount of space reserved for future allocation is in recognition of the yet-to-be defined needs.

The proposals in this document reflect our best efforts to integrate the many and diverse space needs of an expanding and rapidly changing university within the finite limits of the resources made available by the SuperBuild initiative. The proposa ls will not entirely satisfy the expectations of our programs under greatest space pressures and will fall short of the understandable hopes of other programs for flexibility and elbow room. Accepting this, the SuperBuild projects promise significant impr ovements in physical facilities for Western's students, faculty, and staff.

We must move ahead in the very new future with all these projects; time pressures are especially acute for the ATC project. We welcome responses to these proposals - some opportunities and needs may have been overlooked or inadequately addressed. C omments and suggestions should be directed to the Provost by November 2, 2000.

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