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Many elements must be taken into consideration when developing comprehensive and rewarding campus master plans or landscape master plans for institutions or corporations, members of the Central Ohio IFMA Chapter learned January 14 at the organization’s first monthly program for 2004.
This message came from James M. Houk, certified planner, registered landscape architect and principal, and Gregory R. Krobot, horticulturist, registered landscape architect, and associate, both with Bird Houk Collaborative. The two spoke to chapter members and guests at the Fawcett Center at The Ohio State University on Campus Master Planning and Landscape Master Planning for the Professional Facility Manager.
While the two plans go hand-in-glove, Houk offered the overview of the campus master plan, and Krobot the need for proper landscape planning to enhance the area or campus of the facility that is being developed or improved.
Houk said in creating a campus master plan, the grounds, buildings and parking facilities of an educational, medical, or corporate institution must be taken into account, adding that it is much easier to develop a plan if you are in at the beginning than having to work around existing structures.
But whatever the case, Houk said, "This plan for physical development must be based on a needs assessment that reflects the institutional mission, culture, and history, and must address the location, size, form, function, character, image, and environment of the institution."
Houk said companies and institutions need master plans to better understand the functional capacity of the campus, to allow for growth with minimal impact on the existing operations, to enhance the functionality and image of the campus to lead to a better bottom line for the business, and to obtain the necessary zoning entitlements from municipalities.
He said a good master plan must deal with institutional needs and functions, campus size, cost, sequence of new developments, reassessment of existing facilities, preservation of ongoing business activities, community regulatory processes, and campus image.
The elements of such a plan should include a needs assessment to show the growth of the corporation; the corporation’s strategic plan to see what it wants to achieve over the next 20 or so years; environmental, site, zoning, and parking analyses; vehicular and pedestrian circulation plans, costs, and phasing schedule.
Houk said a good campus master plan must:
Krobot related that landscape master planning is the "establishment of goals, policies, and procedures for altering the site features through landscaping with plants, earthwork, pavements, walls or fences, site furniture, lighting, irrigation, and maintenance.
"Landscape master planning may seem like it is all about the future; however, in reality, it is an insurance policy to be certain that your facility performs as envisioned. By preparing a master plan you are establishing the road map for achieving the goals, policies, and procedures set forty by the administration," Krobot said.
Such a landscape plan will help facility managers stay proactive by eliminating surprises, by establishing a game plan to handle exceptional events, and to guide new site projects and maintenance through the budgeting process, he said.
Krobot said a landscape plan is always developed with the campus master plan in mind and should list each area of the property, any project or projects identified for an area, maintenance required for an area, and priority of projects and maintenance. The plan should be reviewed every five years at a minimum, and maintenance specifications should be reviewed annually along with renewal of maintenance contracts.
Stephanie Patton, chapter president "introduced" the chapter’s top-level (Initiator) sponsors for the year and announced that one of these will be featured each month with displays and information about the company. This month’s featured sponsor is Commercial Movers, Inc.
Matt Jacobs, Membership Committee co-chair, announced that drawings will again be conducted each month for prizes for those attending the meeting. Tom Logsdon won this month’s prize, a $20 gift certificate for Best Buy.
Linda Myers, Associate Relations co-chair, announced that the chapter’s sponsorship drive was being extended through January and urged all members to contact her of Jennifer Jarrett, co-chair, about any potential sponsors.