Facilities > Departments > CPSM > Space Management > Space Planning Guidelines > Space Guidelines for Classroom Facilities

Office of Campus Planning & Space Management

Space Guidelines for Classroom Facilities

The following policies and guidelines should govern all classrooms in the University:

CLASSROOM FACILITIES (100's)  

This category aggregates classroom facilities as an institution-wide resource, even though these areas may fall under different level of organizational control. The term “classroom” includes not only general purpose classrooms, but also lecture halls, recitation rooms, seminar rooms, and other rooms used primarily for scheduled non-laboratory instruction. Total classroom facilities include any support rooms that serve the classroom activity. A classroom may contain various types of instructional aids and equipment as long as these do not tie the room to instruction in a specific subject or discipline.

CLASSROOMS (110)  

Planning and allocation of classroom space on the Auburn campus depends on several factors including:

• Classroom Space Assignments and Utilization Analysis – provision of adequate number and sizes of classrooms, in the appropriate locations at the appropriate times. 
• Classroom Space Requirements per Station or Seat – provision of adequate square footage within the classroom for its' intended usage.
• Classroom Technology Support – provision of appropriate technology support for the intended teaching methods.
• Flexibility of Classroom Space – classroom design should be flexible to allow the space to evolve with changing teaching methods.

Regarding the assignment and utilization of classroom space, the Office of the Registrar has primary responsibility for the allocation and scheduling of classrooms. The Office of the Registrar will work with the Office of Campus Planning & Space Management to conduct regular classroom utilization studies to ensure the University has the appropriate amount and types of classrooms on campus.

CALCULATION OF CLASSROOM SPACE

The following calculation is used to determine space requirements for classrooms at Auburn University :

ASF Space Required = [Space Factor] X [Student Clock Hours]

The Space Factor standard is .79 . This is derived through the following calculations:

Space Factor = Student Station Size(ASF)/([Avg. Weekly Room Hours] X [Student Occupancy Ratio])

18([35] X [65%]) = .79

DEFINITIONS

• Student Station Size (18) - represents the standard square feet per student station included related service areas.  
• Avg. Weekly Room Hours (35) – calculated by dividing the total room hours of instruction in classrooms by the total number of classrooms. It is the average number of hours that an institution's classrooms are used for instructional purposes each week. This calculation can serve as an indicator of the adequacy of the number of classrooms at an institution.
• Student Occupancy Ratio (65%) – the average percentage of student stations that are occupied when classrooms are in use. It is calculated by dividing the student clock hours generated in classrooms by the potential student clock hours for classrooms and multiplying by 100 to convert to a percentage. Potential student clock hours is computed on a room-by-room basis by multiplying the number of student stations in each room by the room hours of instruction generated by the room. It indicates the number of student clock hours which would be generated if every room were filled to capacity each time a course met in the room. The Student Occupancy Ratio access the utilization of rooms only when they are in use. Therefore, it is a helpful indicator of how close to capacity an institution's courses are to the room in which they are scheduled.
• Student Clock Hours – a measurement of the total weekly hours of scheduled instruction for all of an institution's students. It is computed for each course by multiplying the number of times the course meets each week by the number of hours of each course meeting and multiplying that product by the number of students.

SPACE PER SEAT TABLE FOR NEW CONSTRUCTION OR MAJOR RENOVATIONS OF CLASSROOMS:

When planning for new construction or major renovations that involve classrooms, the following table outlines the guidelines that are used to ensure the appropriate amount of space per seat or per student station is provided. Actual space per seat in a classroom may vary depending on existing room configuration as well as type of furniture and seating used.

Classroom Space Guidelines
Net Assignable Square Feet per Station