Developing a Facilities Master Plan: A Road Map for Change
By Mike Eichhorn, AIA, LEED AP, BD + C
Associate
Wold Architects and Engineers
Alison Andrews
Associate
Wold Architects and Engineers
School districts are constantly faced with short- and long-term challenges that can negatively affect the future success of desired outcomes. As districts prepare for various changes, facilities master plans can align their facilities with their strategic plan, whether in five years or beyond.
Like a roadmap, these plans provide a clear path for demographic growth, changes in learning spaces or more critical building upgrades. Often the public may not understand these needs and school boards may no longer see your facilities as assets. Your staff and administration must live and work in these environments daily, which need to be safe and well-maintained. A successful facilities master plan demonstrates these needs and, most importantly, communicates them to your constituents. To get buy-in, the master planning process must include a diverse group of users, experts and community stakeholders to determine solutions and amplify the voices of those who will be directly impacted. Read on fort the detailed steps of a facility master planning process and the actions involved to develop long-term solutions that need collective stakeholder approval.