Planning, Design & Construction

What is Design?

Design is more than meets the eye. Although some people think that "design" only addresses the aesthetics of a project, it is much more than that. At Planning, Design & Construction, "design" encompasses all of the work of architects, engineers and interior designers. Their work focuses on the health, safety and welfare of all building occupants, while maintaining the integrity of our facilities. This is just as true for small projects as for large ones.

Particularly for some of the smaller construction projects, there has been a recent trend to stipulate "no design" as a way to reduce costs. Difficult financial times do call for careful use of funds, but that does not preclude the need for design work. Design work is not an option. It is an integral part of a project. A project may have any or all of the following design-related issues:

- Compliance with standards adopted by the Board of Curators.
- Presentation to the Capital Review Committee.
- Does the work conform to the requirements of Environmental Health and Safety?
- Compliance with Procurement guidelines.
- Meet the needs for hazardous use classification; labs, research facilities.
- Fire rated construction, sprinklers, alarms, and fire rating of materials and finishes.
- Number of occupants rating; office or auditorium.
- Heating, cooling and ventilation requirements (sick building syndrome).
- Emergency exiting requirements; sign, lighting.
- Compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
- Review and assessment of structural limitations.
- Compliance with campus design and space planning standards.
- Review for compliance with other Campus Facilities units, including Maintenance, Custodial Services, and
   Energy Management.
- Ergonomic considerations.
- Archiving and coordination with Space Planning and Management.
- Development of specifications for bidding and purchasing.
- Phasing assessment for economical or operational or constructability needs.
- Evaluation of existing building systems to plan for additional/future capacity; e.g. chilled water, steam,
  electrical, etc.

Planning, Design & Construction maintains a staff of licensed design professionals. These designers ensure the university's compliance with institutional, federal, state and local regulations and requirements, and help you turn your ideas into facilities that are safe and appropriate for current and future use.