630
Recommendations: Review of Planning Criteria
634
REVIEW OF PLANNING CRITERIA
634.1
The Joint Venture has been asked to identify areas where changes in VA
criteria such as Manual M-7 would provide the Veterans Administration
with better design and construction methods or space utilization. A
comprehensive study of space utilization was not within the scope of this
study; however, considerable effort was expended in an attempt to identify
constraints to desired building performance or other project objectives.
It is not intended to recommend specific changes, but rather to suggest a
basis for possible further investigation. The objectives of cost control and
equitable distribution of funds to each project which are implied in Manual
M-7 must be maintained. Within the context of this study, the additional
objectives of reduced design and construction time, minimum
obsolescence at the time of first occupancy, and efficient use of space
throughout a building's life span should also be considered.
634.2
There is a close relationship between room size, operational policies and
building organization. Currently, maximum square foot requirements for
individual spaces are precisely defined. Maximum areas are in many
cases effectively minimum; that is, spaces cannot be reduced much below
the maximum indicated and still function.
It may be desirable to allow the building designer more freedom to vary
room sizes to accommodate different patterns of operation, or to achieve a
plan which is consistent with overall building organization and future
adaptability. For example, it is conceivable that an increase in a specified
room size may allow multi-use of space, thus eliminating other required
spaces; or, increased space for single-bed rooms may allow the building
perimeter to run straight through rather than notching in, thus providing for
future adaptability at minimal cost. (See Section 751.3.3 for a discussion
of the cost effect.)
It may be possible to allocate space with, say, a 15% increase allowance
above a reasonable minimum. All spaces would not require this increase,
thus the overall average increase could be restricted to, say, five percent.
Further investigation would, of course, be needed to determine a workable
range for the desired result.
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