UH Classroom Business Building

Program Variances & Suggestions

Version 2, August 24, 2010

Bauer Program Committee
Michael S. Parks
713 743 4729
parks@uh.edu

Using the original program specification document:

as compared to:

The nomenclature used on the "Drawings" identifies spaces by functional group as defined in the "Program Study". For example, there are 23 rooms identified as "CO-1" on three different floors.

One might prefer a room number assignment or other nomenclature that allows individual rooms and corridors to be identified by a unique label. For example, CO-1.1, CO-1.2, etc. The current schema is difficult to talk about and reference as to details.

OR

Construct a permanent room/corridor numbering system now that will actually be used in the final building signage.

The following items are at variance with the "Program Study" or have minor programmatic preference changes. The program impact is summarized at the end of this document:

  1. First Floor, Classroom C-4

    Change moveable table to a single 20 person conference table (See SS-2 discussion below). Add six spectator chairs to make total occupancy 26.

  2. First floor, ES-7

    NE corner classroom 52 seats is identified as "ES-7"

    This is incorrect, it should be labeled "C2" per "Program Study" document.

    In future version label this room as: "Bauer Computer Instruction Lab" in order to distinguish its function from a general purpose classroom.


  3. First floor west corridor -- are two rooms labeled "BS-5" per "Program Study" document page 25 (3.20)
    What is the function of these two "Closets"? Are these the same as the function as Bauer's general purpose storeroom BS-2 that appear in the middle of the first floor corridors?

    My 3/4/2009 "Draft copy" of the program by WHR shows an item labeled A-4 Storage 5 @ 300 sq ft each -- but the final versions 02 Feb 2010 document shows one. Only the "BS-2" appears (1 @ 150) appears to satisfy this function. Further, no functional specification appears for these rooms (i.e., for BS-5).

    I am unsure as to their (BS-5) function. Are they part of the lost 5 "Store rooms" from the "Draft program"?

    As no function is specified and I cannot find any detail references in the 02 Feb 2010 program, I suggest we redesignate them as "BS-2". Further, I suggest we combine these two rooms by eliminating the connecting wall and remove the south side door. This would expand the vending area and increase the storage space.

    Label this space as "Archival Storage" and reclassify the space as "assignable square footage".

    (see original image (z1) and revised image (z2) below)

    Image (z1)
    From THIS    		Image (z2)
    To THIS
    Impact on the Program:
        Removes 10 ft of wall
        Eliminates 1 door
        Add 150 sq ft assignable space


  4. First floor lobby -- has a Print/Copy (PS-1) room and an Office (OC-1). Put a door between these two rooms and label the current CO-1 as "Technology Support". This would allow our technology group to: be centrally located; have access to the copiers/printers; and be adjacent to the IT-MDF.

    (see original image (a1) and revised image (a2) below)

    Image (a1)
    From THIS    		Image (a2)
    To THIS
    Impact on the Program:
        Adds 1 door


  5. Fourth Floor, C-78-- Executive MBA Suite C-78. Make "double" glass entry door instead of single. Makes a nicer entrance like the Fourth Floor's W-4.

    (see original image (b1) and revised image (b2) below)

  6. Fourth Floor EMBA Director's Office (EA-1). -- The Director's Office on the west limited windows and is confined by the external stairwell. Can we swap the conference room and the western-most EA-1 so that the Director's office is in the corner and the conference room is bounded by the external stairwell.Fourth Floor, northwest corner-- Swap the conference room and the director's office as shown below. Square footage differences are OK

    (see original image (b1) and revised image (b2) below)

    Image (b1)
    From THIS    		Image (b2)
    To THIS
    Impact on the Program:
        Adds double entry door
        Removes single entry door

  7. Fourth Floor EMBA Administrative Suite. -- "program study calls for 3 200 sq ft (total 600 sq ft) records and storage rooms (EA-3 on page 63, 4.38). "Drawings" show only 2 with a total of only 443 sq ft. "Program Study" says:

    General file storage for the following functions:
    (1) archival storage (file room for MBA records -- location is flexible)
    (2) current storage (file room near advisors who have applications and current student records) (3) storage/assembly --
    File storage should be directly accessible from the open office area.

    QUANTITY: (3)

    Are these functions combined into two rooms? (a) One for storage/assembly (cabinets with work surfaces on the perimeter, cabinet storage above and assembly space (counter-height) in the center (b) One for archival storage (floor to ceiling shelving on the perimeter and file storage furniture in the center)

    Advise intent or program modification.


  8. Fourth Floor EMBA Administrative Suite northern-most interior hallway EA-2 -- this corridor has an empty dead-end on the eastern end. Capture this space by expanding the northeastern-most EMBA Admin. office into the dead-end corridor space -- making a slightly larger office.

    (See before (c1) and after (c2) images below)

  9. Fourth Floor northern-most Breakout Rooms ES-5 --in the interior hallway are two dead-end spaces leading to the breakout rooms on the windowed north side. Move the doors and capture space in the eastern-most room and create a small Archival Storage room in the western corridor space.

    (See before (c1) and after (c2) images below)

  10. Fourth Floor Clinical Office Suite northern most interior hallway CO-1 On the eastern end of this corridor is dead-end space. Rotate the door into the corridor and capture the corridor space inside the office.

    (See before (c1) and after (c2) images below)

    Image (c1)
    From THIS    		Image (c2)
    To THIS
    Impact on the Program:
        Adds 50 sq ft to the Staff Office in the EMBA Suite
        Adds 50 sq ft to the Breakout Room on the northern wall
        Adds 40 sq ft "Archival Storage" in northern Breakout Rooms suite
        Adds 50 sq ft to the northwestern most Clinical Office
        Adds 1 door
        Removes 5 feet of wall from the new larger break out room

  11. Fourth Floor Clinical Office Suite eastern most interior hallway -- On the northern end of the hallway is a dead-end space.

    In the northeastern-most office, remove the dead-end hallway partition and move the door. The office will be bigger.

    (see original image (d1) and revised image (d2) below)

  12. Fourth Floor Clinical Office Suite eastern interior hallway -- This smallish lobby is relatively useless. Further, the corridor doorway doesn't conform to the others on the floor (i.e., it is not recessed and doesn't open outwards. Add a conforming suite corridor entrance door on the eastern side of the hallway. This creates either:

    This will create a small space of appox. 80-90 sq. ft. I prefer the "Archival Storage" option as shown below as the space is too small for an office.

    (see original image (d1) and revised image (d2) below)

    Image (d1)
    From THIS    		Image (d2)
    To THIS
    Impact on the Program:
        Adds 80 sq ft "Archival Storage" in Clinical Office Suite
        Adds 50 sq ft to the northeastern most Clinical Office
        Adds 1 door
        Removes 7 feet of wall in NE office
        Adds 8 feet of wall in new "Archival Storage"


  13. Fourth Floor -- Combined EMBA Lounge (ES-3)and Cafe (ES-4).

    The third entrance door at the northwest corner where a print/copy area has been located is kludgy. It makes a third entrance and is way too tight to be useable as an operating lounge and is dead-end circulation space. I suggest we slide the "blue" square" that defines the copy/print area to the south and place a partition behind it, thus creating a small storage room with external corridor access. I acknowledge this makes the overall EMBA Lounge/Cafe space a little smaller -- but the lost space was not really useable anyway.

    (see original image (e1) and revised image (e2) below)

    Image (e1)
    From THIS    		Image (e2)
    To THIS
    Impact on the Program:
        Adds 10 ft of wall
        Adds 100 sq ft "Archival Storage" adjacent to the EMBA Lounge/Cafe suite
        Removes 100 sq ft from EMBA Lounge/Cafe suite


  14. Fourth Floor -- Classroom (ES-1) -- the classroom as shown doesn't conform to the programmatic specifications regarding room layout.

    The furniture shown in "6 person tables" arranged in three rows. The "Program Study" says: "Classroom space with tables and chairs arranged in (10) pods of six students. Each pod will have a table that seats (6) students near an LCD screen." [This 'pod' arrangement also appears in the Wolff Center (W-5)]. The revised image below shows ten square tables. Each pod will use desktop mounted flatscreen mounted above the end of the square table where there are no seats.

    (see original image (f1) and revised image (f2) below)

    Image (f1)
    From THIS    		Image (f2)
    To THIS
    Impact on the Program:
        Furniture and A/V Change only


  15. Fourth Floor Large Classrooms (three ES-2 and 1 ES-1) -- the classrooms as shown have a column that breaks the plane of the front of the classroom (this is only slightly true in the eastern-most ES-2). The "front" wall of the classroom will need to be a continuous plane for the whiteboards. This implies that an additional wall needs to be added to:

    1. hide the columns with a new wall

      OR

    2. the existing walls need to be thicker in order to encase the columns

    See item # 21 -- This will not be necessary if we turn the classromms on their side (ES-2)


  16. Fifth Floor, Wolff Center, Conference W-5

    The "Program Study" says: "General purpose meeting space used for group learning in (4) pods of ten students. Each pod has flat screen per table controlled by lectern. I am suggesting the revised 6 pods of eight as shown below. This does changes the occupancy to 48 [This 'pod' arrangement also appears in the EMBA (ES-1)]. Each pod will use desktop mounted flatscreen mounted above the end of the square table where there are no seats.

    The south wall of this has a column that protrudes into the room that reduced the whiteboard at the front of the room.

    (see original image (g1) and revised image (g2) below)

    Image (g1)
    From THIS    		Image (g2)
    To THIS
    Impact on the Program:
        Furniture and A/V change only

  17. Fifth Floor, Three Seminar Rooms SS-2. In each of the three rooms, the "Program Study" calls for a single large conference table for 20 with extra chairs along the sides of the room. "Drawings" show a ganged set of moveable tables. The "Program Study" (page 80, 4.55) states:

    "Room should have 1 conference table with (20) chairs surrounding it. Space for (10) additional chairs should be left at room perimeter."

    This is to emulate the "board room" effect we currently have in Melcher Hall Room 302.


  18. Fifth Floor, Seminar Reception SS-1

    Reception area has an "free standing column" visually in the middle of the hallway. I suggest to move the center seminar room doors to conform and align with the eastern and western seminar rooms which can "capture" the isolated column.

    I also wish to extend the southern wall of SS-1 Reception Space approximately five feet southward in order to recover the space to make the reception area 300 Sq ft as per the "Program Study".

    (see original image (h1) and revised image (h2) below)

    Image (h1)
    From THIS
    Image (h2)
    To THIS
    Impact on the Program:
        Adds 30 feet of wall


  19. Fifth Floor Student Organization Meeting Rooms S0-2

    Both of the meeting rooms (SO-2) have a "front" with a column protruding into the space. The "front" wall is not a single plane and would preclude a continuous whiteboard.

    (see original image (i1) and revised image (i2) below)

    Image (i1)
    From THIS    		Image (i2)
    To THIS
    Impact on the Program:
        ???


  20. Second Floor Classroom C-3

    The "Program Study" says:

    General Classroom space with movable tables that accommodate 2 students per table. QUANTITY: (1)
    ASF: 1,012 ASF
    OCCUPANCY: (46)

    The space as drawn is shown as 1,303 sq ft with 46 seats (the drawing says "46" seats -- but "48" seats are shown) as compared to the "Program Study" specification of 1,012 sq ft (22 sq ft/student). This additional 291 sq ft will support approximately 60 students using the "Program Study" allocation of 22 sq ft per students. Drawn in the revision below as 60 student seats.

    (see original image (j1) and revised image (j2) below)

    Image (j1)
    From THIS    		Image (j2)
    To THIS
    Impact on the Program:
        add 10 feet of wall to center corridor wall
        widens the "front" of the classroom by appox 30 sq ft
        increases occupancy from 46(48) to 60


  21. EMBA Suite Tiered Classroom Seating Issues (ES-2)

    The "fixed chairs" in the First Floor 80 person classroom (C-1 and C-2) are drawn with approximately 23.1 sq. ft. per student (1848/80) and an approximate 2.5 ft interdesk distance (as near as I can measure this).

    Compare to the "moveable chairs" in the EMBA ES-2 classrooms with 25 sq. ft. per student (1500/60) and approximate 3.5 ft. interdesk distance (as near as I can measure this).

    Our issues (dean and associate dean) are:

    1. Long and Linear Rows -- the layout does not provide for the "horseshoe" shape that places the instructor "inside" the horseshoe. This is well-handled in the First Floor C-1 80 person rooms. It is absent in the three EMBA ES-2 rooms.

    2. No rear entry -- the layout forces students to enter the room from the front. As the students will spend all day in the rooms, there will be much entry and exit thus creating distractions.

      Below is a sketch of what we want the three ES-2 rooms to look like (i.e., side entrances, deep horseshoe). Assumptions:

        • From the "Drawings" ES-2 I get:
          • 5 ft inter-desktop distance
          • 18" x 24" seats (60)
          • 12" between seats
          • 18" desktop depth
        • Key to the sketch below:
          • top is north
          • three tiers (black is corridor level; dark gray second tier; light gray third tier)
            the desktop is white; the chairs are blue.
          • the red dot (radial center) is 20' 4" from the western wall and 18' 9' from the southern wall
          • radial distance between desktops is 4.5 ft.
          • chairs are shown partial under the desktop

        This seems to be feasible.


     

     

    SUMMARY PROGRAM IMPACT:

    Item
    reference
    above    		 Recovered
    ASF    		 Location From To Walls
    Linear ft    		 Doors
    3 150  1st Floor west side unknown "BS-2" archival storage -10  -1 
    4 0  1st Floor east side PS-3/CO-1 (add door) 0  +1 
    6 0  4th Floor northwest side C-78 (make double doors) 0  +1 
    8 50  4th Floor eastern-most EA-2 (N. wall) corridor office space 0  0 
    9 50  4th Floor eastern-most ES-5 (N. wall) corridor breakout space -5  0 
    9 40  4th Floor breakout Room corridor (N. wall) corridor archival storage 0  +1 
    10 50  4th Floor Clinical Office Suite (N. wall) north-western corridor office space 0  0 
    11 50  4th Floor Clinical Office Suite (E. wall) north-eastern corridor office space 0  0 
    12 80  4th Floor Clinical Office Suite (eastern corridor) lobby/entrance archival storage +1  +1 
    13 0* 4th Floor EMBA Lounge/Cafe corridor archival storage +10  0 
    18 0  4th Floor Seminar Room Reception Lobby (SS-1) SS-1 SS-2 +30  0 
    20 30 2nd Floor Classroom (C-3) +10  0 
    500  TOTAL TOTAL +36  +3 
    * Removes space from EMBA, returns to archival storage (Not recovered)

    by Michael S. Parks
    Program Committee for Bauer College of Business
    713 743 4729
    parks@uh.edu