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FACILITIES PROGRAM – PHASE IA USF Polytechnic

IV. Introduction

A. BACKGROUND

1. HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

Established in 1956, The University of South Florida (USF) has rapidly ascended into the ranks of this nation’s premier research universities. In 2006, USF was classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching in its highest tier – a Research University with Very High Research Activity. Today, annual research contracts and grants exceed $300 million, while USF’s Research Park provides support for university researchers and industry to collaborate in commercializing discovery. As a member institution of the State University System of Florida, the University is governed by the Florida Board of Governors and the USF Board of Trustees (UBOT). The President and Trustees represent the University with one voice. USF is fully accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). In 2006, USF St. Petersburg was accorded separate regional accreditation by SACS. The state legislature has granted the USF Sarasota-Manatee and USF Polytechnic campuses fiscal autonomy and provided a directive that these regional campuses also seek separate accreditation.

Home to over 45,000 students on four campuses in Tampa (including USF Health), St. Petersburg, Sarasota-Manatee and Lakeland (USF Polytechnic), USF is among the largest public universities in the United States. Campus boards, chaired by members of the UBOT, provide fiscal oversight and fulfill important stewardship roles in the community. Each location presents a unique and distinctive learning environment for undergraduate and Masters level students. Doctoral and professional degrees are awarded at the Tampa campus. A comprehensive range of degree programs is offered across 13 colleges and schools. Each year, more than 6,000 undergraduate and 2,000 graduate and professional degrees are awarded, and the University’s alumni base has grown beyond 200,000. USF’s endowment currently exceeds $300 million.

The University is inextricably engaged with the community at all levels, from local to global. Community partnerships in health care, education, science and engineering, the arts, and business are an integral part of life at USF. USF is a member of the Big East Athletic Conference. In recent years, USF has strengthened its place as a member institution of Carnegie’s top tier of American research universities; has been identified as one of the two fastest growing research universities in the United States by the National Science Foundation; has improved its position in the annual report of the Top American Research Universities; and has stepped up a tier in US News and World Report’s ranking of National Universities.

Vision:

The University of South Florida envisions itself as a pre-eminent research university with state, national and global impact, and positioned for membership in the Association of American Universities (AAU).

USF Polytechnic – Phase IA 7/28/08SECTION IV

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Mission:

As Florida’s leading metropolitan research university, USF is dedicated to excellence in:

Student access and success in an engaged, and interdisciplinary, learner-centered environment, The generation, dissemination, and translation of new knowledge across disciplines, to

strengthen the economy; to promote civic culture and the arts; and, to design and build sustainable, healthy communities, and

Embracing innovation, and supporting scholarly and artistic engagement to build a community of learners together with significant and sustainable university-community partnerships and collaborations.

Values:

The University of South Florida values:

Excellence in teaching and learning; scholarship and research (both basic and applied/translational); together with community engagement and public service based on the highest standards of discovery, creativity and intellectual attainment,

Outstanding scientific discovery and the application of new knowledge to solve state, national and global problems,

Recruitment and retention of world-class faculty and high potential undergraduate and graduate students,

Access to a world-class, globally relevant and affordable education, including utilization of alternative modes of delivery,

Student competitiveness, success and academic achievement through knowledge, communication and critical thinking skill acquisition,

Cultural and ethnic diversity and inclusion along with an enhanced global experience, understanding, and appreciation,

Integrated, interdisciplinary inquiry and collaboration across departmental, college and campus boundaries,

Facilitating the optimal development of personal and professional potential of students, faculty, and staff, and enriching the quality of an engaged campus community,

Shared governance structures that empower all USF stakeholders, campuses and entities to reach their full potential,

An environment of collegiality based on respect, integrity, civility, the freedom to engage in debate, the exchange of ideas and intellectual discovery, and professional responsibility,

An environment of collegiality based on respect, integrity, civility, the freedom to engage in debate, the exchange of ideas and intellectual discovery, and professional responsibility,

Mutually beneficial partnerships and community engagement that increase the understanding of, and present solutions to, local and global challenges, with a mind to strengthening the economy and building sustainable healthy communities,

An entrepreneurial spirit and innovation with a focus on defining, informing and generating “next best practices”,

The utility of proven and emerging technologies to enhance instruction, learning, research and engagement, and to improve service quality and efficiencies in institutional business practices,


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Focus and discipline in aligning the budget and fiscal resources with institutional priorities and action, and

Transparent accountability along with timely and effective communication.

Goals:

The University of South Florida will pursue its rising stature as a pre-eminent research university with a state, national and global impact, and position itself for membership in the Association of American Universities (AAU) through:

I. Expanding world-class interdisciplinary research, creative, and scholarly endeavors,

II. Promoting globally competitive undergraduate, graduate and professional programs that support interdisciplinary inquiry, intellectual development, knowledge and skill acquisition, and student success through a diverse, fully-engaged learner-centered campus environment,

III. Expanding local and global engagement initiatives to strengthen and sustain healthy communities and to improve the quality of life, and

IV. Enhancing all sources of revenue, and maximizing effectiveness in business practices and financial management to establish a strong and sustainable economic base in support of USF’s growth.

The Strategic Plan of the University of South Florida can be found in its entirety on-line at http://www.ods.usf.edu/plans/strategic/.

USF Polytechnic Phase I Alignment with University Goals:

The interdisciplinary USF Polytechnic - Phase I Facility will be designed to meet the University’s needs for modern teaching labs, housing faculty in concentrated areas of applied technology, and to enhance USF’s ability to recruit and retain faculty and researchers commensurate to a top tier polytechnic university center. There is considerable unmet demand in Florida for courses in interdisciplinary polytechnic fields which require collaborative, flexible learning and research spaces with extensive technological. Recent State and University initiatives promote interdisciplinary research, undergraduate and graduate programs. The Phase I facility helps meet not only the undergraduate teaching needs of USF in science, engineering, and the liberal arts, but will support and foster interdisciplinary research in several areas. It will also house a hub for information technology and a multi-media center for the campus.

2. HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA POLYTECHNIC CAMPUS

In 1978, the District Board of Trustees of Polk Community College (PCC) purchased the land on the current Winter Lake Road site for a Lakeland campus for PCC. The University of South Florida pursued a joint venture with PCC in the planning and development of a joint-use campus. With the support and foresight of Senator Curtis Peterson, the USF was granted over $7 million in planning and capital outlay


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http://www.ods.usf.edu/plans/strategic/


funds in 1983-1984 for the construction of the first campus building. In 1986, ground was broken for the construction of the PCC/USF Lakeland Center.

On January 23, 1988, USF Lakeland (USFL), now known as USF Polytechnic, officially opened its doors as an academic center of USF in partnership with PCC. USFL served approximately 300 students and enabled access to public higher education through the Master’s level for the first time in Polk and surrounding central Florida counties.

The Board of Regents of the State University System of Florida revised the definition of and, subsequently, the designation of Branch Campuses (Rule 6C-8.009) on December 3, 1993. This process identified three types of branch campuses differentiated by enrollment levels. A follow up memo confirmed the identification of the USFL campus as a Type III Branch Campus.

By the 2004-2005 academic year, USFL enrolled over 3,500 students that represented more than 20 complete undergraduate and graduate degree programs as well as courses in numerous partial programs in the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business Administration, Engineering and Education, and in the Department of Information Technologies.

B. PROJECT HISTORY

By the early 2000’s the Polk County Legislative delegation was poised to expand the programs and services offered by USFL and during the 2002 Legislative Session allocated $1 million for planning a new USFL campus. In November 2002, the USF Board of Trustees approved the issuing of a request for proposal for a new campus site, and in December 2002, a Land Acquisition Committee was appointed. This committee included both University and community members representing a broad constituent group. The consulting firm of Reynolds, Smith, and Hill was contracted to work with the committee to perform land evaluation and to prepare the Campus Master Plan.

Five proposals for campus sites were received in January, 2003 and were reviewed and evaluated over the next several months. In July, 2003, the Land Acquisition Committee identified the Williams Company proposal as the one to recommend to the USFL Campus Board. In August, 2003, the USFL Campus Board accepted the Williams Company proposal which included a donation of a 530+ acre site at the intersection of Interstate 4 and the eastern terminus of the Polk Parkway. Subsequently, in November 2003, the USF Board of Trustees approved the development of a new USFL Campus on the Williams Company’s property. A signing ceremony took place on the PCC/USFL Joint-Use Campus site on November 22, 2004. In addition to the value of the land, the Williams Company will also contribute $600,000 to establish the Williams Endowed Professorship in Information Technology. The gift will qualify for a $420,000 match from the State Trust Fund. The endowment will be paid in 5 annual pledges, the first pledge to be paid when ground is broken for the first facility on the new campus site.

The development of the Campus Master Plan was guided by projections of enrollment increases and program development over the 10 year period 2005-2015. The academic programs consider the institution’s response to community and economic development needs, and establish or enhance programs in a direction of applied research in a polytechnic approach. In 2008, the State Legislature designated the Type III Branch Campus the name USF Polytechnic.


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PECO funding for the Phase I Facility was approved in 2008 and has been enhanced by private, local and state public matching funds (see Supplemental Sections - Phase IB for Private & Matching Grant Funding and Phase IC for CITF Funding). The priorities for space at the USF Polytechnic Phase I Facility will address the needs of the several colleges with disciplines in arts and sciences, business, engineering, information technology, and health sciences, focusing on the increasingly interdisciplinary nature of teaching and research. The need for collaborative learning spaces and teaching laboratories in Central Florida has become critical, as the number of students seeking higher education has increased. Teaching laboratories in a polytechnic environment require larger spaces with adequate equipment storage and chemical handling areas. The pair of large learning spaces proposed for the facility addresses the growing curricular needs in multi-discipline education. Having a central location for teaching laboratories will promote current and future interdisciplinary teaching in the science and technology areas, linking disciplines such as physics, biology, and chemistry, as well as other more specialized sciences and technologies.

There has been significant growth of proposals which include interdisciplinary research and the availability of common research equipment. Another trend is that many newly trained researchers prefer to work in larger interdisciplinary labs and facilities shared by others. It not only promotes interdisciplinary research and education, but is a more efficient and flexible use of research space. The facility will include a series of interdisciplinary equipment centers and interdisciplinary laboratories, juxtaposed in such a way as to promote new interdisciplinary research and education.

C. GENERAL PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The interdisciplinary USF Polytechnic Phase I Facility will primarily provide large multi-user interdisciplinary shared core facilities. The plan includes two 100-seat learning spaces and multiple smaller learning spaces to support student enrollment needs in upcoming years. These learning spaces will be scheduled by USF Polytechnic to meet growth in technology. Teaching laboratories for the disciplines of engineering, sciences, arts and information technology will provide space for interdisciplinary laboratory courses, as well as more traditional upper and lower division courses as needed. Multiple commons spaces for faculty and support staff is also included in the project. The space in this facility is designed to promote interdisciplinary research and teaching.

“Commons” Concept

Polytechnic ideals are strongly oriented toward interdisciplinary, collaborative relationships – between faculty members, support staff, student support, and others. The concept of a commons is strongly evocative of these interactions; the co-location and interweaving of faculty members across disciplines, for example, encourages and facilitates the dynamic exchange of ideas so critical for interdisciplinary efforts. The close physical proximity of faculty, staff and students creates a collection of “critical masses,” providing constant opportunities for productive interaction.

What do “commons” have in common? First and foremost, they represent a breaking down of inter-departmental, inter-functional boundaries (silos), thus implicitly acknowledging the value of external ideas to any area of the enterprise. Second, they emphasize the facilitation, to the extent practical, of collaborative activities in preference to solitary ones. Third, they imply by their very structure a class-


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free, egalitarian respect for “non-specialist” ideas, recognizing the value of generalists in cross-pollinating between narrow disciplines and specialties.

In summary, each commons structure provides a highly interactive and dynamic environment for interdisciplinary and collaborative work, an environment most beneficial for full realization of the goals of a polytechnic institution. The design of this initial facility, based as it is around multiple commons, embodies these ideals, and extends their benefits far beyond the strictly academic areas.

The following section describes the interdisciplinary nature of many of the planned facilities:

1. Academic Commons

The Academic Commons space is intended to be the focus of the academic life of this facility. While it is perhaps easier to describe what this space is not (i.e., not a silo-based cellblock, as are so many “traditional” faculty office spaces), we feel it best to describe this space in terms of what it is intended to accomplish, including suggestions for how some of these goals might be accomplished, inviting proposals from the architect as to configurations that would fulfill these goals.

Goal 1: This space should encourage and facilitate interaction and collaboration between faculty members.Goal 2: Disciplines should not be isolated from each other, nor even “grouped” together. Instead, individual faculty spaces should be interweaved across disciplines, so as to encourage and facilitate interdisciplinary interaction and collaboration.Goal 3: While the importance of an interactive and collaborative environment cannot be overstated, it is also essential to recognize each faculty member’s need for private space – a place where the faculty member can temporarily isolate him/herself so as to accomplish work requiring concentration free from distractions.Goal 4: As the “collaborative space” and the “private space” must be in sum total accommodated within Florida University System square footage guidelines, all or part of the private space should join with the collaborative space when so desired by the faculty member.Goal 5: Referring to the limitations described in Goal 4 above, while it is likely that each faculty member’s “private space” will need to be smaller than a typical “cellblock style” office in the traditional sense, emphasis must be placed on maximizing the “perception of roominess” within each private space even when closed off from the collaborative area. One possible method is through selection of appropriate lighting technology (see Goal 10). Note that certain, requirements for “typical” space-using features of traditional faculty offices (bookcases and filing cabinets) will be significantly reduced by a document storage/routing/retrieval system (see below) and the increasing prevalence of online delivery of journals and textbooks.Goal 6: In order to facilitate improvement in instructional techniques as well as collaboration with instruction and research support professionals (such as Teaching and Learning Technologies and the Library), office space for these personnel should be included within this Academic Commons; located in close proximity to personnel they must manage in the Information Commons.Goal 7: To adequately prepare and deliver today’s blended and online courses, faculty members need increasingly more technology than can reasonably be provided within the confines of each person’s private space (from both a space and cost perspective). Therefore, several 2-person


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content preparation and delivery spaces should be provided. These must be soundproof and provide a full suite of technology necessary for these functions.Goal 8: Several small conference rooms should be provided for private meetings with students and other faculty members. These should be glass-enclosed, reasonably soundproof, and equipped with ceiling-mounted cameras and microphones for videoconferencing of inter and intra-campus meetings and recording of small committee meetings.Goal 9: To the extent practical, floors, walls and ceilings should feature acoustically non-reflective or absorbent surfaces, particularly in the collaborative space. Goal 10: So as to (a) create a comfortable environment and (b) reduce energy use, maximal use of piped sunlight or similar systems should be made, including faculty private spaces.

The following space categories for the Academic Commons are combined within the space allocation requirements for both Phase 1A and Phase 1B (allocations taken from Section 6.1 of State Requirements for Educational Facilities) :

Allocation Name NumberNormal Allocation

Normal Square Footage

Max. Square Footage

Max Allocation

Faculty Office Space 79 120 9480 10270 130Chair's Office Space 1 175 175 200 200Dean's Office Space 3 225 675 750 250

Instructional/Research Support 3 120 360 390 130

Conference Room (20 person) 3 400 1200 1500 500

Academic Conference Room (3 person) 5 60 300 375 75Workroom 3 135 405 405 135Content prep/delivery 8 135 1080 1080 135Staff Lounge (Kiosk) 1 220 220 240 240

Admin. Support (Office Mgr) 3 110 330 360 120Acad. Administrator 3 120 360 390 130

Shared space (adjuncts) @ 2/space 4 160 640 720 180

Non-assignable (corridor space) 1000 1000

TOTAL FOOTAGE 16225 17680

The above table suggests that between 16,225 and 17,680 square feet should be utilized for a facility combining these functions in the Academic Commons. Note that it is not implied that the square footage listed above for each category is a specification or even suggestion for proportional


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allocation of space in the commons. Instead, it is justification, based on functions and personnel to be housed within the Commons, for the total area allocation.

* - the 1000 ft2 shown for corridors in the above table represent an arbitrary estimate; this value can be added to should it be determined that this area substitutes for more than that area of corridor space in a “cellblock” design.

Details:

Characteristics/Equipment: Faculty “private spaces”: As described earlier, these spaces can be smaller than a “cell” in a traditional arrangement, and

are ideally “shared” between private and common area. When “open”, it should become part of the commons; when “closed,” it should provide isolated space for (a) the faculty member, (b) a desk and chair, (c) a document storage system (see below), (d) limited paper file storage (possibly integrated in desk), (e) a bookcase of limited size (possibly integrated in desk), possibly a visitor’s chair [private meetings with students should take place in glass-enclosed meeting spaces designed for that purpose]. It is important to reiterate that the perception of “roominess” – even when the office is closed – is essential to compensate for the relatively smaller physical space allocated to these private areas.

Ideally, faculty private spaces should be separated from the collaborative common area by a sliding, multi-section 180 curved (or polygonal) glass door composed of privacy glass (an LCD-based composite in which electrical voltage will switch a door between transparent and translucent modes). Thus, the private space would exist in one of three conditions: (1) open and therefore “part” of the common area (open to collaboration), (2) closed but transparent (for quiet work), and (3) closed and translucent (for privacy and reflection). [Note that the “privacy glass” technology currently available does not appreciably reduce the amount of light passing through it – current light transmission is roughly 90%. So the use of this technology does not significantly increase lighting requirements on either side of the surface.]

As many as possible of these spaces should be exterior and include exterior windows. Those spaces that cannot be provided external windows should be afforded “piped sunlight”, LCD-based real-time external views, or something similar. Exterior windows (except for northern exposures) should be equipped with shades or blinds to reduce direct sunlight. Ideally, these barriers should be of screened material so as not to completely cut off exterior views.

Paper is the bane of faculty members’ existence. Fortunately, with more and more student work being submitted electronically, this need is being reduced. Nonetheless, we can assume that, even when this facility is implemented, some paper will still be received by faculty. There is therefore a need for a document storage and retrieval system. This should be a highly efficient, scanning, “tagging,” storage and retrieval system fully accessible from each faculty (and staff) member’s desk. Classifying for storage and retrieving documents should take no more than a few seconds of a faculty member’s time, and should include routing, tracking and versioning capabilities. Technology is currently available for this kind of a system, and can be expected to be more efficient, user-friendly and less costly in time for the implementation of this facility.

Ideally, private spaces should be equipped with “battery power,” wired / wireless or Bluetooth fallback, portable IP phone sets to enhance voice communications. This will allow a faculty member to carry his/her phone to meetings or impromptu collaboration sessions anywhere within range of campus wireless coverage. Acceptable alternatives would include wearable


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wireless headsets that maintain wireless connectivity with a fixed IP phone set on the faculty member’s desk.

Faculty and support staff offices/systems should be equipped with cameras to facilitate meetings with individual students at a distance via video communications.

Characteristics/Equipment: Course preparation/delivery spaces: These areas should provide adequate space for two people working simultaneously on the same

project. Equipment should include desktop systems with two monitors each, laptop docking stations,

sound systems, video sources (camera, VCR, DVD), video storage capability (network, writable DVD), high resolution scanning, touch-sensitive tablet technology.

One wall should be clear of obstruction and provide for “green screen” background and technology for creating limited faculty-interactive videos.

Characteristics/Equipment: Large collaborative space: It is highly desirable that this be a high-traffic (for faculty and collaborative staff and

administrators) area, to which those people are drawn for multiple purposes, thus enhancing the opportunities for (and probability of) collaboration and cross-disciplinary discussion.

“Collaboration-friendly” is the key phrase here. It should include space for a few tables with chairs for impromptu discussions; the “break room” is incorporated into this space – water-cooler conversations are encouraged. A (perhaps central) “island” is included for refrigeration, microwave, coffee, etc. Lighting should be attractive, not harsh, and natural to the extent achievable.

There should be the electronic equivalent of portable whiteboards in multiple locations; these devices allow handwriting and drawing, but the result is incorporated into the document management systems (via wireless communications) and can be routed to participants or others for retrieval or printing. Displays from previous sessions can be retrieved from the document management system and work continued on them, creating a new version of the work. Graphics can be “dragged and dropped” onto other whiteboards at will.

Passageways between this area and other areas of the facility should be open (as opposed to closed-door), but should be designed so as to reduce the travel of sound between the spaces.

2. Learning Spaces/Lab Commons

The primary goal for the learning spaces and instructional laboratories is that they are highly flexible, interdisciplinary spaces that allow movement of furniture, students, and instructors. These instructional spaces need to be able to accommodate lecture and small group work and all variations in between. In the polytechnic model, these spaces need to accommodate the “guide on the side” model as opposed to the more traditional “sage on the stage” instructional methods. In addition to serving as instructional spaces, these rooms will need to also double as large meeting spaces. If a function were to need more than 100 seats (the large learning space), the activities, presentations, meetings, etc. could be broadcast to several of the smaller or satellite instructional labs.


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The polytechnic learning spaces & collaborative instructional laboratories:All learning spaces and other collaborative instructional areas will provide the instructors with the innovative technology necessary to conduct a collaborative and applied learning experience for the student. All learning spaces will have: Movable tables and chairs conducive to conducting collaborative and applied learning sessions. Instructional Multi-Media podiums or work centers that include the necessary innovative

technology to enhance applied learning space instruction which may include but not be limited to a PC or laptop, room projector or LCD screen, DVD player or VOD playback, Sympodium and wireless microphone/student microphones for instructional recordings.

All learning space technologies will be operated via a central Crestron system, which will allow for full system monitoring in the Media Services area. This would include any operations of the lights, projection screens, and room technology equipment.

More specifically, all of the instructional areas need to contain the following technologies: Smart Teaching Podiums or work stations with PC and /or laptops; Sympodium (if required);

digital document camera; DVD player or VOD; wireless microphone for instructor; any other innovative required teaching tool;

Hanging microphones and audio wall taps; Self-contained videoconference room equipped in one of the smaller instructional labs;

- This high end room will provide for faculty videoconferencing classes to the other USF campuses and outlying educational site partners. It will also provide administrative opportunities for videoconference meetings with other higher education institutions and community partners, in addition to providing the opportunity for both University and community executive-style meeting space.

Raised flooring or be trenched to place all the wiring in the floor and have flush mounted cable floor boxes;

Crestron driven room technology for use with controlling all of the podium technology in the instructional spaces and controlling all the room lights; projector screen (if used); LCD screen (instead of projector screen & mounted projector);

High bandwidth network access; Each video feed to include high bandwidth network access; all originating and going back to the

Central Machine Core Room. Camera with all video feeds originating and going back to the Central Machine Core Room.

The teaching laboratories are divided into 3 different categories:

The physical science laboratories need to be flexible in that they will need to serve as interdisciplinary, lower level general education labs for all of the natural sciences. These labs must include chemical fume hoods and ductile ventilation systems, sinks, gas, air and vacuum lines and all of the safety requirements for a physical science lab in addition to plenty of storage and electrical outlets for the necessary equipment. These labs include a preparation room where a laboratory manager will be able to assist in the set up and administration of the labs. This room will also include a desk and office space. The engineering teaching laboratories and storage room will contain several large pieces of equipment that will be moved around the room on wheels. To facilitate this movement of equipment double doors are necessary at the entry/exit point of the room, between the rooms and


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to the storage room. The computer workstations in the lab will need to be highly flexible and allow for free movement between the computer and work areas. The information technology teaching labs will also need to be flexible and allow for individual and group work stations. These rooms when not in use might be used for open use computer labs and study areas. In addition, there will be an IT networking laboratory which will require the ability to disable the wireless network.

3. Student Academic Services Commons

The shared/common spaces for Student Affairs and Financial Aid/Admissions (Student Academic Services) are comprised of a reception area, a storage area, and a supplies/workroom area. This shared space is intended to serve new and current students who visit with university staff members. Rather than having two separate areas for students, the reception area allows a single location for all students to visit whether they are new to the university or already enrolled. A storage and copier/mail/fax/supplies room allows two departments to share needed space which facilitates functionality and efficiencies.

The following space categories for the Student Academic Services Commons are combined within the space allocation requirements for both Phase 1A and Phase 1B (allocations taken from Section 6.1 of State Requirements for Educational Facilities) :

Allocation Name NumberNormal Allocation

Normal Square Footage

Max Allocation

Max. Square Footage

Reception Area (25 person) 1 500 500 625 625Disability Testing Room 1 (2 person) 115 115 115 115Counseling Group Room 1 (6 person) 200 200 200 200

Staff Offices 5 120 600 130 650

*Storage 1 (for 2 dept) 300 300 350 350

**Resource Room/ 1 (for 2 dept) 250 250 300 300TOTAL FOOTAGE 1965 2240

*Per State Requirement for Education Facilities, storage is 150 SF. Since this space is being shared by 2 departments, the square footage was doubled.** Per State Requirement for Education Facilities, “Supplies” is 125 SF. Since this space is being shared by 2 departments, the square footage was doubled.

Characteristics/Equipment: Reception Area The reception area should be a welcoming environment for students while they wait to meet

with a university staff member. This includes LCD panels, TV, comfortable chairs and/or sofa furniture. In addition, several computer kiosks would be available for student use to receive information and update their records. In order to maintain confidentiality for students, there would be two glass doors for separate entry into each respective department. As much as possible, natural lighting should be utilized in the space and include exterior windows.

Characteristics/Equipment: Resource Room/Supplies


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The purpose of this room is to share resources such as copier, fax machine, mail boxes, and a small workspace for office use. Rather than having separate space and equipment, this shared space allows for interaction between the departments and shared resources.

Characteristics/Equipment: Storage The purpose of this room is to share storage space which includes filing cabinets and bookcases

for office supplies as well as promotional materials such as banners, cups, and other items.

4. Learning Commons

The Learning Commons is a space, preferably dynamic and user-driven, where the users – students, faculty and staff alike - find the assistance needed in the production of the desired product, be it a paper, a presentation or study time. Users will find assistance readily available for researching, gathering, evaluating, organizing and using information to produce a knowledge object, activities associated at USF Polytechnic to the Library and the Open Use Lab. Users will also find assistance readily available with computers and technology.

In the Learning Commons, users will also have access to the services and assistance of the Teaching and Learning Technologies Office, the Media Services Office, the East Regional Data Center (ERDC), and the Writing Center. The regrouping of all these services into one space will offer a continuity of services for the users, thereby creating a “one-stop shopping” experience.

Characteristics of Learning Commons typically include: Collaboration: both as a collaborative learning environment and collaboration with different

entities within the institution; Student centricity: the students of today have study and research habits that differ significantly

from their predecessors and learning commons focus on meeting students’ expectation related to these habits;

Support of mobility: wireless capabilities and sufficient access to power to support student’s personal devices;

Flexibility and openness: the way in which students use a learning commons environment will vary greatly during each day; therefore the environment must be easily reconfigured multiple times during a day;

Human-centered design: the environment needs to be highly functional and aesthetically pleasing, an environment to which students are attracted and one that stimulates creative thinking (Peterson, 2008).

The USF Polytechnic Learning Commons will contain: Workspace for group or individual work. Tables with or without desktop computers capable of

accommodating 1-3 persons. Small, moveable whiteboards made available; Enclosed quiet study area with tables and study carrels; Enclosed, small group study rooms equipped with collaboration and projection technology for

users to prepare and practice presentations together; Student Project Lab with special equipment and software for multimedia editing, etc; Library print collections and access to the electronic collections; Special Collections room for rare or specialized books and archives, with a display area;


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Writing Center; Video-conference room that could also be used for information literacy; Studio learning space; Public access computers for community users; One help/circulation/checkout desk.

Envisioned is a space easily accessible, with glass walls and a great amount of natural light. Part of the furniture will be movable, to allow flexible arrangements. Both wireless and plug-in connections to the computer network would be available as well as power outlets for users’ electronic devices. Raised flooring offers flexibility in arrangements; carpeting will increase aesthetics and comfort. Compact-shelving for the library stacks can be considered as a space-saving solution. A study on usage in new, expanded and renovated academic libraries ranked the following features as promoters of increased facilities use levels post project: overall facility ambience; natural lighting; user seating quality; public access computers; telecommunication infrastructure and instruction lab (Shill & Tonner, 2004). Our Learning Commons will greatly benefit from attention to these aspects.

There will be one public service desk for users. Assistance on research, technology and the various services offered will be available. In addition to library materials, various technology tools and equipment will be available for check out, i.e. laptops, headsets, PCS systems, PowerPoint remotes, graphing calculators, etc.

The Learning Commons will be adjacent to the Student Government Association area to provide continuity in student areas, particularly with space offering social exchanges.

Behind the scenes, it makes sense to regroup the various units that will offer the services in the Learning Commons: the East Regional Data Center (ERDC), the Teaching and Learning Technologies Office, Media Services and the Library. These units will share:

- Work Commons with the various units’ staff offices and storage spaces;- Conference room;- Workroom with photocopier/printer and kitchenette;- Common reception area.

Training and consultation space with faculty for the Teaching and Learning Technologies Office and the Library. The Work Commons will also include some specialized spaces for the ERDC and Media Services. ERDC requires space for a server room, an Intermediate Distribution Frame (IDF) room, an electrical room, a general workroom and a network operations center. Media Services requires space for a production control room to facilitate the activities taking place in the TV studio, the studio learning space and the video conference learning space. A central machine core room will be the operation center for the distribution (monitoring) of all the video/audio signals in and out of the campus. Editing suites and audio recording booths complete the Media Services work space.

References:Peterson, B. (2008). Tech talk: Learning commons. Library Instruction Round Table News, 30(3), 8-9. Retrieved from

http://www3.baylor.edu/LIRT/lirtnews/2008/mar08.pdf

Shill, H. B., & Tonner, S. (2004). Does the building still matter? Usage patterns in new, expanded, and renovated libraries, 1995 - 2002. College & Research Libraries, 65(2), 123-150.


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D. PROJECT GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

1. Principles of a Polytechnic Model

Polytechnic- Focusing on research and instruction in applied sciences

Applied Research- Inquiry, investigation or experimentation aimed at practical application of knowledge, theory or

law to solve specific problemsApplied Technology

- Practical application of technical processes, methods or knowledge to solve specific problemsCustomization

- Building, fitting or altering course or program requirements to individual or regional needs and interests

Distributed Delivery- Placing programs in off-campus sites to address specific regional or area needs for workforce

development; online, hybrid or blended delivery of programs through technologyInnovation

- Introduction of new ideas, approaches, methods or technologiesInterdisciplinary or Integrative Approaches

- Application or blending of two or more academic, scientific or artistic disciplines in teaching or research

Peer Learning- Focus on opportunities for students to work cooperatively and collaboratively toward a specific,

common goalSkills-based

- Focus on learning by doing; the performance or execution of knowledge in problem-based tasks

2. Campus Goals

To attain our Vision and Mission, we will direct campus talents, efforts, and resources toward the achievement of the following goals:

a. Recruit, develop, and retain world-class practitioner scholars with capacity to deliver the polytechnic vision in teaching, research, and community engagement and impact.

b. Recruit students locally, nationally, and internationally who are prepared for a polytechnic learning environment, and provide programs and opportunities that enhance student retention and academic, personal, and professional success.

c. Expand and create academic programs that focus on applied learning, applied research, applied technology, and interdisciplinary approaches in a polytechnic model. Develop and implement new degree programs in five areas of distinction: applied health sciences; mathematics and science education; business and entrepreneurship; manufacturing engineering and technology; and information technology.


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d. Implement the Campus Master Plan and develop a campus infrastructure to support a polytechnic learning and research environment, and develop a stable economic base for continued campus and program development as a polytechnic campus.

e. Develop collaborative public and private partnerships that enhance funding opportunities, including leveraging state and federal funding.

3. Project Goals

The project goals and objectives are adopted within the context of student and community expectations for the project. The most important ones discerned from the stakeholders include:

For Current and Prospective Students: USF Polytechnic will offer outstanding facilities which support multiple disciplines. Students will be better prepared for the workforce because of the campus instructional assets. The facility and campus design positively impacts the learning environment and the collaborative interaction between students, faculty and staff. Safety and comfort throughout the campus is paramount.

For the Community and Alumni: The community will be proud of the USF Polytechnic campus. It positively enhances the University and the central Florida area. The campus welcomes community members and offers unique environments and vistas that improve the quality of life. Colleagues, friends and newcomers about the campus will observe many positive experiences.

Given these expectations, the Project Goals and Objectives include:

Provide State of the Art comprehensive facility to house most of the USF Polytechnic operations. The facilities should become a major attractor to potential students and community supporters.

Continue use of the USF/PCC LTB building current student facilities, Learning Commons, learning spaces and related parking. The continued connection of these long term investments will mean USF Polytechnic can be dedicated to new educational opportunities as opposed to replacement or duplication immediately.

Create a campus environment which maximizes access to central Florida, preserves unique environment features and supports a relationship to the historic district formed by the Williams property.

Develop a sustainable, cost effective infrastructure and campus design which supports a 25 year development plan.

Purpose

To construct facilities to support the enrollment plan, program expansion goals and developing autonomous institutional requirements for USF Polytechnic.


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Square Foot Cost Basis

Square foot costs were generated with SUS data for the Education II project on the Tampa campus, combined with information garnered by a Feasibility Study conducted for USF Polytechnic based on comparable high technology teaching facilities but not adjusted to the year of construction per the CIP instructions. The project was not part of the 2007 USF Educational Plant Survey.

E. FACILITY REQUIREMENTS AND DESIGN OBJECTIVES

The geometry and configuration of the facilities shall be based on efficient functional relationships in conjunction with energy saving and sustainability practices. The site for the project was designated to be visible from Interstate 4 and on axis with the intersection of the east end of the Polk Parkway. It is critical that the facilities footprint conserve land for the future growth and that the future expansion of the master plan be on all site drawings.

SustainabilityThe facilities should address several areas: energy efficiency, water efficiency, ecology/landscape, waste management, materials, transportation, and curriculum. Many of these suggestions dovetail with, or are directly from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system. Given the vision, mission, and goals of Phase I of USF Polytechnic, one of the design objectives for the project is to achieve USGBC LEED certification to the highest degree possible within the program area, budget, and schedule. The selected team will need to be creative with cost-effective solutions in order to achieve certification in the LEED required prerequisites and the Credit categories listed below and further outlined in Appendix 7.

Sustainable Sites 14 Points Water Efficiency 5 Points Energy & Atmosphere 17 Points Materials & Resources 13 Points Indoor Environmental Quality 15 Points Innovation in Design 5 Points

The project team will work with the University to develop a list of LEED credit opportunities with estimates of any associated required construction and maintenance additional costs or cost savings.

Part of the challenge for the LEED Accredited Professionals on the selected team will be in certifying the partially-finished and partially-shelled nature of the project design and construction. The team will need to research the credit opportunities within budget and the LEED Green Building Rating System guidelines for LEED-NC New Construction, LEED-NC Application Guide for Multiple Buildings and On–Campus Building Projects (AGMBC), and LEED – CS for Core and Shell Development.

Orientation and ConfigurationThe facilities will provide a logical climatic response and contribute to the goals, objectives and policies set forth in the current adopted 2005-2015 USF Polytechnic Campus Master Plan and with LEED design objectives.


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The relationship of the facilities on the site shall consider solar orientation, location of the existing and future improvements, functional relationships with existing and future adjacent buildings, utility requirements, storm water retention and treatment, prevailing breezes, natural light and climatic considerations (rain, temperature, sunscreens etc.).

Operation and MaintenanceThe building design shall consider efficiency, life cycle costs, and ease of operational and maintenance requirements, including energy efficiency, centralized controls, HVAC security, fire alarm systems, energy management system, etc.

The selection of the building materials to be used shall include consideration of sustainability issues, appearance, durability, maintenance characteristics as well as compatibility with adjacent buildings and site conditions. Facility maintenance shall be considered a very important part of the building design for both the selection of the interior finishes and exterior materials.

The facility will require a service receiving area and dock. Sufficient space for paper recycling must be provided at all copy machine locations and for bulk collection locations near the service elevator on each floor. Provision will also be made for aluminum and plastic recycling containers at all vending machines. Any vending machines located near the lobby will be in an area screened from view from the entrance.

Building SystemsThe Architect/Engineer shall provide calculations showing the annual energy cost associated with the selected systems, as well as anticipated labor and material maintenance cost. All effort shall be made to reduce energy and water consumption. Rooftop equipment is discouraged and shall be screened from view. Commissioning will be a required prerequisite for LEED Certification.

All building systems shall be network managed by a centralized Energy Management Control System (EMCS). The EMCS should support standard TCP/IP protocols and be compatible with the campus network infrastructure. The EMCS system should be able to indicate “Real Time” power and HVAC systems usage information.

Functional RequirementsAccess to the facility for emergency, service and delivery vehicles will be a design component of major importance.

Functional adjacencies in determining horizontal and vertical zones shall also consider duct/chase/motor sizes and runs.

Security Design ParametersAt a minimum, USF standard card access system will be provided at all exterior doors. Exterior doors should be kept to a minimum.

Pedestrian traffic flow should be designed to enhance centralized visitor and 24/7 management. All exterior public areas, including parking lots, and remote areas should have fiber optic connectivity and access to power for video surveillance and public address systems.


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All interior learning spaces and offices should be in close proximity to public address systems. All interior corridors and public spaces should have connectivity and access for video surveillance and public address systems.

Future ExpansionConceptual design shall include a future expansion plan clearly and logically delineated for ease of future construction of Phase II, which will ultimately total approximately 350,000 GSF for the two phases.

Phase I design should include a future expansion plan that will accommodate future access to network/voice/video infrastructures, including chilled water access and backup power resources such as natural gas and/or diesel.

Planning Considerations for the Learning Spaces

General Design Issues

Flexible, portable and friendly are key design elements for teaching/learning spaces at USF Polytechnic. Adaptability is important because often one room must accommodate a variety of activities, disciplines and teaching/learning styles - what happens in the room will change. Flexibility also contributes to future proofing as space becomes reallocated and repurposed over time.

As technology becomes increasingly portable, it is necessary to recognize that in addition to wired infrastructure, learning spaces must also have sufficient capacity to support mobile and portable technologies. Wireless keyboards, laptops, PDAs, cell phones and digital cameras are examples of devices that support mobile learning in and out of the learning space. Additionally, not every room will be equipped with every technology. Resource limitations, usage demands, etc. will dictate that some technologies be shared among learning spaces requiring infrastructure to readily support “plug and play” options.

Spaces designated for teaching and learning will not be designed around technology, but rather focus on human elements such as comfort, natural light and good social ambience. Learning spaces must be inviting, friendly places that energize and inspire learning and that transport outside the learning space to areas such as learning café’s and open planned social spaces providing for continue collaboration and learning beyond timetabled classes and meetings.

Informal Learning Spaces: Lobbies, Corridors and Other Open Access Areas

Entering a university facility should create a sense of excitement about teaching, learning and research – its hallmark activities. Its next priority is to offer clear, accessible information about the institution (program) and what can be achieved there. USF Polytechnic plans to make information about its program available using digital display technologies and touch panel information screens (kiosks) located in many public places. The lobby will include areas for informal socializing and learning, and serve as a gathering place for more formal settings such as small scale presentations, ceremonies and fund raising events. The design should include consideration for an integrated public address system and provide clear line of sight to all digital displays.


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Corridors should be designed to provide thoughtful common spaces for social interaction and informal learning opportunities. These spaces should be considered as networking, study/work and social areas, not just passageways. Along with comfortable seating, it is important to design for communication devices such as:

Network for wireless service or data drop; Power located for convenient access; Proper lighting for reading and use of computers; Privacy should be designed into some areas, while others should be designed for social

interaction, offering a place for individuals to “be seen”; Provide soft seating, table (end or coffee tables), rugs, lamps and plants to make it a specific and

inviting space.

Formal Learning Spaces

Collaborative learning spaces and instructional laboratories should be able to motivate learners and promote learning as an activity, support collaborative as well as formal practice, provide a personalized and inclusive environment, and follow the key design principles when possible. Specific considerations for learning space design as it applies to technology integration should include:

Lighting: Artificial lighting should be zoned and controllable. Serial control is preferable to enable

interface with the audiovisual control system. Lights must be coordinated with display and board locations to avoid glare on projection screen,

TV or board surfaces. Dimmers or multi-level lighting capabilities are preferred. Lighting controls or switches should be located at the front of the room or near designated

instructor space as well as at the entry door. A mixture of direct task and indirect ambient lighting fixtures that distribute light on the ceiling

and walls is preferred. Light colored finishes on room surfaces are preferred to maximize reflective light. Window location(s) and size should be considerate of visual display; location window treatments

are preferable.

Walls/Ceilings/Floors: Walls should be flat and open spaces void of any columns or structure that could obstruct line of

sight to visual display(s). Walls in the learning spaces should have a minimum Sound Transmission Class (STC) of 50. Walls in lecture halls should not be parallel and should have a rough or textured surface. Rear

walls should be acoustically treated. Preferred ceiling height for standard size learning spaces is 10 feet to ensure screens, boards

and other relevant fittings are visible from any seat in the room. Ceilings should not contain obstructions in areas where projection or display screens may be

designated. Ceilings in learning spaces may be entirely acoustical. Ceilings above 10 feet should be 50-60%

acoustical tile. Use of lighted fabric “clouds” is acceptable. Odd shaped rooms should be avoided. Floors should a minimum of 6” raised with carpet tile matching the floor tiles for easy access.


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Furniture: Furniture should be modular and easy to move and reconfigure. The technology station and instructor desk should be the same piece of furniture to optimize

learning space. A rectilinear shape that can move left, right or center to connect via floor boxes and interfacing cables is preferred.

The unit would hold the following types of equipment:- PC- DVD player- Document camera- Touch panel control system- Annotation/interactive white board- Control system processor- Multi image processor- Amplifier- ReceiverIt should be height adjustable from seated or disabled to standing.

Additional AV Requirements (at a minimum): Standard size learning spaces should contain whiteboards not to be obstructed by other

technology needs when exposed. Options for “wall talkers” may be included. Seminar/Conference and standard size learning space designs should be considerate of

interactive video and video/audio capture capabilities. Projection screens should be recessed in the ceiling, electronically controlled and interface with

the media control system. Audio systems will be stereo with ceiling mounted speakers. Large learning spaces will contain program audio and surround sound systems. Raised floors should be a consideration to accommodate floor cabling.

Basic Infrastructure: A minimum of three (3) active data drops are required for AV equipment. A minimum of two (2) floor boxes with power, video and data are preferred for connecting to

the technology stations (potential raised floor). Electrical grids in the floor throughout. Multiple voice/video/data/power access points should be located throughout the learning

space, easily accessible and flush with the floor surface. Conduit, power and data are required for all projector and/or flat panel display locations.

Equipment: Standard size learning spaces should contain whiteboards not to be obstructed by other

technology needs when other technology is in operation. Projection screens should be recessed, electronically controlled and interface with the media

control system.

Security: Card access should be considered for rooms with installed technology.


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F. CONSTRUCTION DELIVERY METHOD

The project delivery system will be architect/construction manager. It is the intent of the University to secure the services of a signature architect for the design of the campus.

G. SITE MAP


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