Use of Non-Assignable Circulation Areas in UAF Buildings

Background

The question of what standards should be applied to non-assignable space came up earlier through an issue raised by the Journalism/Broadcasting Department. The department had requested that the student lockers, which had been located in the first-floor hallway prior to the Bunnell Building deferred maintenance project, be brought back and reinstalled in the hallway. The issue was brought to the MPC primarily for considerations regarding esthetics and use of non-assignable space. The MPC's recommendation to the provost for a short-term solution was that the lockers could be installed in the hallways temporarily and that the department should find a location in their assigned area once construction was completed.

There are three room-use categories included in non-assignable space: building service, circulation, and mechanical. This document addresses only circulation areas, for which a functional definition provides that it

"Éshould be, but is not limited to, public corridors, fire towers, elevator lobbies, tunnels, bridges, and each floor's footprint of elevator shafts, escalators and stairways. Receiving areas, such as loading docks, should be treated as circulation space. Any part of a loading dock that is not covered is to be excluded from both circulation area and the gross building area. A loading dock which is also used for central storage should be regarded as assignable area and coded as central storage. Also included are corridors, whether walled or not, provided they are within the outside facelines of the buildings to the extent of the roof drop line." (Postsecondary Education Facilities Inventory and Classification Manual, p. 31)

These 13 recommendations by the MPC are based on draft recommendations submitted initially in 1999 by a three-member subcommittee: Deb Wells, Kathleen Schedler, and Susan Todd. They have been discussed extensively and were approved without objection.

1. The first priority is to maintain all required exit widths along corridors, as specified in the Uniform Building Code.
2. The designated main-floor corridor should concentrate on presenting the theme and history of the building (who was the building named after, what is the history of the building, etc.). In support of this recommendation it is further recommended that the chancellor appoint a Committee on Building Histories that would be responsible for recording and presenting the history of UAF buildings and aiding in expanding on building themes. Additionally, it is recommended that this committee comprise members of the faculty, staff and community that are knowledgeable in these areas, and that the committee be established as a subcommittee of the Master Planning Committee.
3. The entrances to all academic departments, administrative units, etc. that occupy a building must have a designated main entrance and be clearly identified at that entrance. This should be accomplished through the use of standard signage and should include directories for locating individuals.
4. Office equipment shall not be placed in unassigned circulation areas. When placed in private circulation areas (e.g., a departmental area of an area shared by departments), access and egress codes must be met.
5. Lockers cannot be placed in unassigned circulation areas. If a department feels that lockers are essential, then it needs to identify an area within its assigned space where the lockers can be located. All lockers placed in assigned areas must meet fire code specifications and exit regulations.
6. Signage, both directional and informational, is essential in all buildings, beginning with more general information at first entrance into a building (e.g. names and locations of departments, administrative units, etc.) and continuing with increasing specificity along corridors. Signage standards for the interiors of all buildings on campus shall be adhered to and are essential.
7. Whenever signs are removed or replaced, all holes shall be patched.
8. Bulletin boards and display cases are the only means for posting general announcements, notices, information pieces, etc. and shall be made available in every building. Design standards shall be followed. Display cases in corridors must be maintained. Dated materials should be removed on a regular basis.
9. Notices affixed to doors and walls will be removed. However, these recommendations are not intended to prohibit faculty members from posting temporary signs on classroom doors to indicate a room change, cancellation, or other immediate needs related to a day's academic functions. The determination of who is responsible for maintaining bulletin boards and display cases is an administrative function.
10. Public telephones are not considered office equipment, but care must be exercised when placing them within buildings so that private business can be discussed away from individual offices and public areas such as entrances.
11. Vending machines shall be located in alcove areas of hallways, whenever possible. Where alcove areas are not available, vending machines shall be placed in areas where they will not impede traffic and all access and egress regulations can be met. In no case should they be located at or near a building's main entrance.
12. All deferred-maintenance projects will provide for code compliant placement of office machines, vending machines, and telephones.
13. Implementation of policies deriving from this recommendation is understood to be a responsibility of the administration. In support of this, it is recommended that building captains and/or building user committees be re-established to make certain that these UAF policies on non-assigned space (and others benefiting from such a structure) are understood by building users. Implementation must be carried out constructively for the benefit of faculty, staff, and students. Yearly reviews of how the non-assigned space is used are recommended. It is understood that immediate corrections may be simple in some cases and more difficult (i.e., expensive) in others, and this reality must be taken into account for existing hardware. It is further understood that commercial vendors might have opinions contrary to these guidelines when it comes to visibility and sales, but aesthetics issues are an important UAF consideration.

MPC Recommendations Approved: Meeting of December 14, 2000

Recommendations Submitted to the Chancellor: December 22, 2000

Recommendations directory

University of Alaska Fairbanks
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