FICM - 5.4 Optional Building and Space Elements

5.4 Optional Building and Space Elements

Table 5-2 lists the optional building and space data elements, and tables 5-3 and 5-4 briefly describe them. These tables are intended to indicate and provide guidance on which data elements are generally viewed as most important and useful for institutional management or external reporting. None of these data elements should be viewed as prescriptive, and institutions typically vary as to which data elements are included in their facilities inventory.

Table 5-2. Optional building and space data elements

Building Information
Institutional Identifier Site Identifier Building Identifier Ownership Status Estimated Replacement Cost Original Building Cost Cost of Latest Major Renovation Year of Construction Year of Beneficial Occupancy Year of Latest Major Renovation Disabled Access to Building Building Condition	Location or Street Address Local Name Number of Floors Type of Construction Landmark Status Gross Area Assignable Area Fixed Equipment Building Service Area Circulation Area Mechanical Area Structural Area
Space Information
Institutional Identifier Building Identifier Academic Discipline Functional Use Number of Stations Disabled Access to Space Space Condition	Local Space Name Suitability Space Architectural Features Space Fixed Equipment Space Moveable Equipment Functional Categories (NACUBO and A-21) Academic Discipline Codes (CIP)

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Table 5-3. Optional building data element descriptions

Institutional Identifier	A code (such as the IPEDS Unit ID) that identifies the institution; may be used for reporting as part of a multi-institutional (comparative, state, or national) reporting effort.
Site Identifier	A code assigned by the institution to identify the unique physical description of the site where the building is located (e.g., “Main” or “West” campus).
Building Identifier	A unique identifier assigned by the institution to the specific building (a unique building name or a code consisting of numbers or letters).
Ownership Status	The agency with which the ownership of the building resides (also may include data on the conditions of ownership, terms of a lease, etc.). Suggested codes are provided in section 5.5.1.
Estimated Replacement Cost	Estimated building replacement cost (construction only) at time of inventory.
Original Building Cost	The total original project cost of the building to the institution.
Cost of Latest Major Renovation	The dollar value of the latest renovation that cost in excess of 25 percent of the estimated replacement cost of the structure and that significantly extended its useful life.
Year of Construction	The year the construction of the building was completed.
Year of Beneficial Occupancy	The year the institution occupied the building.
Year of Latest Major Renovation	The year of the most recent renovation that cost 25 percent or more of the estimated replacement cost of the building and that significantly extended its useful life.
Disabled Access to Building	Indication that there are no exterior site or architectural barriers to access to the building by a mobility-impaired person. Access to Building means the ability to physically approach and enter the building without assistance; floor accessibility is noted by the room accessibility data element. Compliance should be measured using the Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards or the ADA Accessibility Standards, developed by the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board. A summary of these standards is provided later in this chapter (section 5.5.3).¹
Building Condition	The physical status of the building at the time of the inventory or audit, based on the best judgment of those persons familiar with the physical characteristics and condition of the campus.
Location or Street Address	The specific location at which the building can be found.
Local Name	The name commonly given to the building.
Number of Floors	The number of floors in the building, including basements, attics, and rooftop structures that have assignable area.
Type of Construction	A code assigned by the institution to indicate the type of construction used in the building.
Landmark Status	Indication that the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Buildings or on some other official listing that limits the character of changes that can be made in the building's use or appearance.
Gross Area	The total floor area of the building within the outside faces of the exterior walls. This is also referred to as Gross Square Feet (GSF).
Assignable Area	The sum of all areas on all floors of a building assigned to, or available for assignment to, an occupant or use, excluding nonassignable spaces defined as building service, circulation, mechanical, and structural areas. This is also referred to as Net Assignable Square Feet (NASF).
Fixed Equipment	Information assigned by the institution to indicate the presence of special fixed equipment such as chillers or elevators.
Building Service Area	The sum of all areas on all floors of a building used for custodial supplies, sink rooms, janitorial areas, and public rest rooms.
Circulation Area	The sum of all areas required for physical access to some subdivision of space within the building, whether directly bounded by partitions or not.
Mechanical Area	The portion of the gross area of a building designed to house mechanical equipment, utility services, and shaft areas.
Structural Area	The sum of all areas on all floors of a building that cannot be occupied or put to use because of structural building features. This is a nonmeasured area calculated as the difference between gross area and the sum of assignable and nonassignable space.

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¹ See also the definitions for Disabled Access to Room provided in table 5-4 and the comprehensive regulations and definitions under the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). For example, see S.R. Colter, Removing the Barriers: Accessibility Guidelines and Specifications (Alexandria, VA: Association of Higher Education Facilities Officers, 1991).

Table 5-4. Optional space data element descriptions

Institutional Identifier	A code or other means to indicate the campus or site of the building where the space is located. For use when institutional space data are reported as part of a larger multicampus system or statewide reporting effort.
Building Identifier	The unique identifier determined by the institution for the building where the space is located. May be a unique name, number, letter, or combination of these.
Academic Discipline	Identifies the academic field, discipline, or program area to which the space is assigned for instruction, research, and academic support.
Functional Use	Identifies the assignment of space to academic and support functions. (See appendix B for codes.)
Number of Stations	Identifies the capacity of the space for selected space use categories where information about capacity (number of workstations, seats, or beds, for example) is useful in assigning or scheduling the space. The space use codes for which this information is useful include Classroom, Class Laboratory, Open Laboratory, Research/Nonclass Laboratory, Conference Room, Study Room, Open-Stack Study Room, Athletic Facility Spectator Seating, Assembly, Food Facility, Meeting Room, Patient Bedroom, Staff On-Call Facility, and Sleep/Study. (See chapter 4.)
Disabled Access to Room	Indicates whether the room is barrier-free for its assigned use, normally through a simple notation for accessibility. This indicates that the room can be approached, entered, and used, without assistance, by a mobility-impaired person. Floor accessibility is, therefore, indicated by this notation at the room level. If the site and the building are not accessible, no notations of disabled access to rooms in that building should be made.
Space Condition	Identifies the need for a room to be repaired, upgraded, or renovated based solely on its physical condition.
Local Space Name	The name commonly given to the room, such as the “Anderson Hydraulic Laboratory,” or the “Multi-discipline Teaching Laboratory.” This is the locally used name for the room rather than the name of the room use category.
Suitability	Evaluation of the suitability or functionality of the room for its assigned use and function at the time of the inventory, based on the design, configuration, and fixed equipment in the room. The evaluation of room suitability may change as its use, function, or assigned organizational unit is changed. Detailed definitions for coding room suitability are presented in this chapter (section 5.5.5).
Space Architectural Features	Identifies the physical characteristics of the room that are built into its architectural design and that affect the assignment or use of the room. These include structural features, such as high bay space or a sloped floor, and the type and amount of utility service provided. The coding of architectural features would not change, regardless of room use or function, unless the room was remodeled.
Space Fixed Equipment	Identifies special fixed equipment that allows the room to be used for specific purposes, such as a fume hood.
Space Movable Equipment	Identifies movable equipment assigned to a room. It is suggested that current practices set forth in OMB Circular A-21, A-110, and the like, be considered as guidelines here.