Framework 2.0

Description

Five years into its designed 50-year lifespan, the One Ohio State Framework plan is getting its first tune-up.

Content

Students, faculty and staff were invited to Framework 2.0 open houses at Knowlton Hall and the Ohio Union on Nov. 18 to have conversation about physical campus planning. Interactive displays encouraged event attendees to provide insights ranging from favorite locations on campus to areas for collaboration and study.

Update of the campus plan will build on success of 2010 principles

By Jeff McCallister
University Communications

Five years into its designed 50-year lifespan, the One Ohio State Framework plan is getting its first tune-up.

“The Framework plan continues to guide change over time at the university, serving as a strategic blueprint for expansion and renovation,” said Jay Kasey, senior vice president in the Office of Administration and Planning.

The original Framework, adopted in 2010, was created to ensure that changes are made only with the academic mission in mind. It included a set of principles, tools and recommendations to keep development in line with the long-term vision for the university.

Now, five years and, significantly, more than 3,000 capital projects into that plan, it’s time to put its assumptions to the test, validate or update them and then take them a few steps further by providing more in-depth study into specific areas of campus — including the academic core, the Waterman Farm and the Western Lands (West Campus/SciTech).

“Framework 2.0 will provide an opportunity to build on successes of the 2010 One Ohio State Framework plan,” said Keith Myers, associate vice president for Physical Planning and Real Estate.

The focus of the update will be on the physical planning of the campus and its changes, and build upon the previous and current projects implemented through the original One Ohio State Framework Plan — including foundational projects such as the new James Cancer Hospital, the renovation of Sullivant Hall and the construction of the CBEC building.

There also have been significant non-physical changes on campus since 2010 that affect planning needs — such as the adoption of the Discovery Themes, revised enrollment growth projections, new concession agreements and neighborhood partnerships.

To get a fresh perspective for the work, the university is working with the architectural firm Ayers Saint Gross (ASG), specialists in master plans and building designs for higher education institutions. The work will take place in three phases — the first and current of which is analysis of existing conditions.

For the past few months, ASG has been assessing the existing conditions of campus and campus facilities. That work has included reviewing past and current planning efforts and assessing and refreshing the 2010 planning principles; and analyzing physical conditions and space utilization. ASG associates have met with college stakeholders, administrators, Student Life and Athletics.

“We want to seek input from our university community to continue to support long-term structural decision making in what is an evolving campus environment,” Myers said.

The analysis stage is expected to be finished in early 2016, whereupon ASG will present its current-conditions findings in a series of meetings and open houses. The next stage will be to devise design alternatives, which should be complete by July. The third stage will be the crafting of the final Framework 2.0 plan, which is expected to roll out in January 2017.

“It’s an honor to be here on campus and to help honor its legacy and heritage by planning its future,” said Luanne Green, principal of ASG’s campus planning studio. “The whole process is to create a shared vision, while also allowing people to see the campus through fresh eyes, and that’s exciting.”

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