What is Space Utilisation?
Space utilisation refers to an institution’s occupancy in relation to their total capacity. It also refers to the efficiency of the space being used in relation to its purpose. Essentially it is the measure of how much and how well a space is being used. In education, it is an element becoming increasingly important to the modern, smart campus.
Why is it Important?
Space utilisation is crucial when managing campus facilities, increasing sustainability, reducing costs and planning for the future. Given Education’s recent ‘Digital Shift’, space utilisation is becoming more and more important to efficiently operate campus facilities. In the age of the ‘Smart Campus’ and a blended model of teaching and learning delivery, making best use of physical infrastructure needs to be a top priority.
A recent PWC report estimates that investment in physical infrastructure will fall nearly 40% in the coming years. This is in favor of digital infrastructure investment. As such, every expense on campus efficiency will count.
Implementing an institution-wide space management system can help education institutions:
- Reduce campus overheads such as lighting, heating, maintenance and upgrades.
- Identify campus facilities that are no longer fit-for-purpose or required.
- Activate surplus space and save on unnecessary physical infrastructure investment.
How to optimize Space Efficiency for a Smart Campus
Achieving insight into your space usage efficiency requires accurate student attendance and engagement data. To operate a Smarter Campus, institutions need live data capture technology. This technology can provide real-time comparisons of expected attendance to actual footfall. This helps institutions inform timetables and future planning. Live data capture tech can also monitor hourly energy usage of campus facilities. This informs staff and facility managers where energy is being wasted.
Space utilisation software is a crucial step for education institutions in creating the next generation, ‘Smart Campus’. The focus of investment into campus infrastructure, has turned from ‘more’ to ‘smarter’. To ensure institution campuses remain operational and sustainable, space efficiency must be a top priority.
For more on Space Utilisation, see our solution here.
