Planning

Our approach to facilities planning is not architectural, though we believe it is an important component to planning.

Comprehensive facility planning requires an iterative process essential to maintaining the short and long-term well-being of your facilities portfolio. Our team of seasoned planning professionals believe there is no ‘boiler plate’ approach to planning, however, there are commonalities in the types of data and information that should be used to make both fact based and stakeholder-based decisions during your planning process.

We often use the analogy of a four-legged stool in which the seat represents the facilities, and that seat is supported by four legs of equal importance. The legs include:

• Operational Framework: Policy, Service and Delivery Models
• Demographics: End Users, Clients, Housing, Population Data
• Condition: Physical Condition and Operational Suitability
• Funding: Ability to fund and sources of funding

Though one of the legs of the stool often necessitates the call for a plan, each of these legs carries an equal amount of importance when developing a facilities master plan. Add the element of stakeholder involvement that reflects the culture and values of the client and that sets the foundation for a successful planning process. Essentially, the ‘art’ of facilities planning is the ability to break down the silos of data to create solutions that include all the influences on facilities.

Often utilized to assist with HPM’s planning efforts are Geographic Information Systems (GIS), software programs vital in taking integrative planning to the next level, as they allow complex and expansive data sets of buildings or campuses across the country to be easily visualized. This use of digital mapping systems is particularly helpful to clients and decision makers, as it paints a picture of numbers and statistics that are digestible and easy to comprehend. Knowledge is power, and educating vested parties on the project at hand using software of this nature equips them to make decisions that will be in the best interest of the end-users they serve.