University of Tasmania, Australia

University space planning issues are management in close consultation with all relevant stakeholders.The University’s space management policy and space allocation guidelines provide a framework for managing space in a cost-effective way while ensuring that schools and sections are treated equitably.

Space utilisation surveys provide data on space use. This space utilisation data is required for space planning purposes. There are two types of survey carried out by Property Services: regular surveys of teaching spaces and periodic surveys of all space within a building.

The survey of teaching spaces is undertaken during a standard week and provides a snapshot of:

• Actual use compared to room bookings in the system. ‘Phantom’ booking are followed up and bookings that are genuinely unwanted are removed from the system.
• Frequency: the number of times a venue is used compared with its availability for use. The TEFMA benchmark for frequency of use is 75%.
• Occupancy: the number of people using a room each in each session compared with the total number that could be using the room. The TEFMA benchmark for occupancy is 75%.
• Utilisation. This is obtained by multiplying frequency and occupancy. The TEFMA benchmark for utilisation is 56.25%.

Information obtained in in this survey can be used to work out:

• where additional rooms are required
• which rooms should be upgraded
• if rooms can be closed
• if rooms of a different size or configuration are required.