GUILFORD, Conn., March 31, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sightlines, a leader in helping academic institutions better manage their facilities and capital investment strategies, has introduced a new customized service to help colleges and universities increase space utilization and make more efficient use of campus buildings.
"No college or university is immune to the pressure to increase the size and number of campus facilities, but the truth is that a typical classroom is only occupied less than 50 percent of the time," said Mark Schiff, president and chief executive officer of Sightlines. "Our space utilization solutions service separates fact from fiction when it comes to campus space and its usage, and provides accurate data so campus leaders can make better decisions about how to manage that space."
Schiff noted that Sightlines was engaged recently by the University of Maine System Board of Trustees to conduct an independent review of space utilization on its various campuses and university-owned properties throughout the state. The Sightlines findings were presented to the board on March 16, 2015, which resulted in a highly publicized vote to provide campus leaders with the go-ahead to dispose, repair or demolish a number of buildings in order to improve space utilization and reduce costs.
"Our space utilization solutions team works with Higher Ed facilities executives to create an inventory of all teaching spaces, then conducts a rigorous analysis featuring classroom and seat utilization," Schiff explained. "Results are segmented by departmental ownership and classroom type and are benchmarked against similar academic institutions. After an evaluation of the data, we create a personalized database of facilities assets, utilizations and specific deficiencies, then work with campus leaders to assess new space needs and any reconfiguration options to improve utilization of space."
Sightlines' Space Utilization Solutions service is part of a portfolio of offerings from Sightlines that are powered by the company's industry-leading campus facilities database. Other service lines include Facilities Benchmarking & Analysis, Capital Planning and Campus Sustainability.
About Sightlines
Founded in 2000, Sightlines gives colleges and universities the independent data and perspective they need to make critical decisions about their most valuable assets – their facilities. Sightlines stewards the industry's most extensive verified database, allowing more than 450 institutions across the U.S. and Canada to benchmark an institution's facilities against universities and colleges across the nation. Sightlines' flagship offering for members is ROPA+, a fully integrated solution for facilities intelligence that leads members through a comprehensive process of discovery, prediction and performance measurement. Other Sightlines solutions provide higher ed executives with insights to assist with capital planning, space management and campus sustainability initiatives. For more information, please call 203.682.4952, go to http://www.sightlines.com or email insights@sightlines.com.