Releasing euros from property to core functions
| Juha Sarkkinen |
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Some of the lecture halls in Linnanmaa have an annual utilization rate of 100 hours, which is in stark contrast to the national recommendation of 1,000 hours. One event that drew a near capacity crowd to L1 was the annual information session for exchange students. |
What is the rent on you office?
Have you ever thought how much your department pays for your office space in rent? As an example, rental expenses for a 12 m2 office located in the old part of Linnanmaa can be calculated as follows:
Area 12.0 m2
Proportion of shared facilities (e.g., hallways, staircases) 12.0 x 39.7 % =4.76 m2
Extensive facility cost 14.55 €/ m2/mth
(12.0 m2 + 4.76 m2) x 14.55 €/ m2/ mth =243,86 €/ mth =2,926.30 euro per year |
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text Anna-Maria Raudaskoski
Rental expenses of the University of Oulu amount to about 28.5 million euro per year, corresponding to 12.7 % of the budget. These figures place the university near the top of the list for Finnish universities. Thus, it should come as no surprise that the university has decided to put paid to this development by 2015.
All told, the university has floor space covering 220,000 m2, of which the Linnanmaa campus encompasses 147,000 m2 and Kontinkangas 40,000 m2. The remaining 33,000 m2 include facilities housing the Department of Architecture in the city centre, Kajaani University Consortium and other separate units.
If all goes to plan, 20,000 m2 of premises will be vacated by the end of 2014, providing savings in rental expenses to the tune of 3.3 million euro. Moreover, another 20,000 m2 will be given up by 2016 in conjunction with the Future Campus initiative.
“It’s enough that we put a stop to the rapid increase in rental costs. This leaves us more funds to spend on our core tasks, staff and infrastructure”, says Olli Silvén, Vice-Rector for Education and chair of the facility committee.
In August, approximately 15,000 m2 of floorage will disappear as the university vacates the facilities currently held by Music Education, the old campus area in Kajaani, Kajaani Sports Centre and the old school building of the Department of Architecture. Forecast savings over the remainder of the year amount to about 900,000 euros.
Other premises slated to be vacated include the facilities of the departments of Dentistry, Biology and Biochemistry.
Savings in costs will be made by concentrating university services and functions on the two campus areas. A case in point is the transfer of the Department of Architecture to new facilities in Linnanmaa.
Spatial solutions of the next few years serve the needs of the new discipline-based schools created by the on-going structural reform. The new structure will be effective as of 1 January 2014.
Science flourishes in close quarters
Deriving savings from premises is made all the more challenging by simultaneous renovation, which always drives up costs. Facilities on the Linnanmaa campus stand in particular need of overhauling, offering a well-timed opportunity for updating.
Cost savings can also be derived from a more efficient use of premises. “We must rationalize space utilization; functions must be more compactly located to increase the efficiency of space usage”, says Olli Silvén.
Potential for joint use of space increases, for example, by concentrating workshop functions in one place or by setting up laboratories across faculty boundaries.
Estate Services keeps a sharp eye on space utilization. Linnanmaa, for instance, has a number of lecture halls with a very low utilization rate, dropping in some cases to about 100 hours per year, which is in stark contrast to the national target rate of 1,000 hours.
“If some facility fails to reach the 1,000 hour target, we may have to find uses for that space”, maintains Estate Services Manager Arto Haverinen.
As often as not, lecture halls “run idle” on Monday mornings and Friday afternoons. To remedy that situation, the Unitime timetabling system and TIMMI resource booking programme make use of these quiet periods, thereby enhancing space utilization efficiency.
Refurbishment at the rate of 5,000 m2 a year
A central aim of the Future Campus project is to improve the accessibility of facilities. “Some of the lecture rooms, for example, are difficult to find, being tucked amid offices on higher floors. We intend to transfer them to the ground floor, where most of the public spaces are”, Arto Haverinen explains.
One thing the university does not lack is space, although some of it could be put to better use. For instance, there are about 500 group work rooms of various sizes, but they cry out for modernizing and upgrading to allow joint use.
“The library has invested a lot of effort in improving its group facilities, including the conversion of hallways to practical space. This is just the right way to go”, Haverinen notes.
Advances in information technology enable a new way of studying and working, one that is independent of place. As a result, there is a growing need for different types of facilities. “The university has changed in the 40 years of its existence, but our facilities have remained essentially unaltered. The time has come to ring some changes”, says Olli Silvén.
Central to the vision of Linnanmaa, looking 30 years ahead, is to make the campus a modern, functional and comfortably interactive place for work and study. Refurbishment and maintenance to that end will continue at an annual rate of 5,000 m2.
Tulevaisuuden kampus -hanke verkossa (Future Campus on the web)
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