Technology Master Planning: Completing the Big Picture in Education

Technology master planning is a vital tool that enables educational institutions to strategically design, implement, and maintain technology infrastructure that benefits the bigger picture. Technology planning involves thoughtful integration of telecommunications, security, audiovisual systems, and more into campus renovations and development projects.

With institutional growth, managers realize how technology impacts all facets of construction planning. Notable, too, are accessibility and sustainability goals that facility directors must achieve without disrupting operations. Last, technology upgrades, like any other trade cost, should be part of each planned budget.

Site Impacts: Building a Connected Campus

A crucial part of technology master planning is addressing the physical impacts of development across campus. Campuses often consist of interconnected buildings, each with varying levels of technological infrastructure. Ensuring seamless connectivity involves overcoming physical and logistical challenges, including:

• Navigating Existing Outside Plant (OSP): The existing underground infrastructure, such as duct banks and telecom pathways, must be mapped and inspected to prevent conflicts with new developments. If conflicts are discovered, a strategy must be developed to minimize disruption.
• Extending the Telecom Backbone: As campuses expand, extending the telecom backbone to future development areas ensures continuity. This requires foresight in planning new conduit pathways and understanding how present pathways may be used.
• Surveying Accessibility of Maintenance Points: Maintenance holes, handholes, and other access points should also be inspected to ensure they remain functional and accessible as construction progresses.
• Utilities: Ensure your organization fully coordinates with the site plans, avoiding conflicts with utility services.

ISP Service Entrance and Redundancy

Campus connectivity heavily relies on internet service providers (ISPs). Technology master planning must assess whether multiple ISP providers serve the campus, enabling redundancy and avoiding service interruptions.

• ISP Pathways: Future buildings may require diverse entry pathways to the building entrance facility (BEF) for backup purposes.
• Overhead vs. Underground Services: In cases where ISP services are delivered overhead, transitioning them to underground pathways improves reliability and aesthetics while reducing vulnerability to environmental disruptions.

Minimizing Disruption to Critical Systems

Telecommunications, security, and building management systems (BMS) form the backbone of campus operations. Disruption of these services during upgrades or construction projects can be detrimental. To avoid this:

• Comprehensive Planning and Notification: Coordinate across departments to ensure campus-wide communication regarding potential disruptions.
• Temporary Data Distribution Solutions: Set up temporary main distribution frames (MDF) or interim connections to ensure telecom, WIFI, and other systems continuity. Security systems must have a plan for integrating new electronic security systems with “legacy” systems well in advance of construction.

WIFI Upgrades: Beyond Access Points

With the rollout of new WIFI standards this year (WIFI 7), be aware that upgrading campus access points is inevitable. Along with new WIFI electronics, new cabling is also required.

• Structured Cabling Support: Campus cabling infrastructure must be able to perform at higher data rates, meaning Cat 6e and Cat 7 wiring will be on your planning radar.
• Heat Mapping and Resource Allocation: Heat mapping resources are crucial to optimize signal coverage and capacity, ensuring students, faculty, and visitors benefit from enhanced connectivity. Although many educational institutions can perform heat mapping, it must be coordinated with the A/E team.

Data Centers: Planning for Growth and Efficiency

New data centers are complex projects requiring interdisciplinary collaboration between civil, electrical, structural, and mechanical experts. Key considerations include:

• Cooling Capacity: Ensure that campus chillers and HVAC systems can accommodate the additional loads of new equipment.
• Power Requirements: Reliable, clean power is essential for uninterrupted operations.
• Scalability: Design the data center with future growth in mind to accommodate modern technologies and increased data demands.

Building Renovations and Additions

Renovations or additions to campus buildings present unique challenges for technology master planning.

• Telecom Room Space: Determining sufficient space for telecom rooms in renovated buildings is vital. Coordinating is incredibly challenging in masonry structures, where routing cable trays or raceways requires specialized planning.
• Floor-to-Ceiling Heights: Limited ceiling heights can hinder installations, emphasizing the need for careful design coordination.

Electronic Security: Enhancing Campus Safety

Building renovations and expansions present an opportunity to modernize electronic security systems.

• Collocation of Security and Telecom Equipment: Check campus standards for security closets. At times, electronic security systems cannot be located in telecom rooms.
• Design for Redundancy: Security systems in renovated or new spaces should integrate redundancies to maintain reliability.
• Legacy Security Systems: If required, develop a strategy for connecting legacy and new security systems.

Audiovisual and Academic Technology

Modern academic environments increasingly rely on robust audiovisual (AV) technology. Planning for this integration requires forward-thinking strategies:

• Structured Cabling: Plan for sufficient structured cabling to support AV systems and Video over Category cable.
• AV Fiber Backbone: Plan an AV Fiber Backbone in new or renovated facilities.
• Dedicated AV Closets: Like telecom closets, AV systems benefit from dedicated spaces for servers, controllers, and processors.
• Integration with Lighting Control Systems: AV systems often tie into lighting control, necessitating careful planning for both systems.

Specialty Facilities: Broadcast & Podcast Studios and Medical Simulation

Specialty spaces like broadcast studios, podcasting rooms, and medical simulation labs require increased coordination with other disciplines.

Broadcast and Podcast Studios:

• Lighting and Structural Support: Studios require additional ceiling height to accommodate professional LED lighting and rigging systems. The project structural engineer must design structural attachments (rigging).
• Noise Reduction: High-quality sound production depends on low background noise and STI-rated walls and doors. Additionally, studios should avoid placement near piping or drainage systems that could generate disruptive sounds.
• Data for Broadcast: Provide a dedicated telecom room for Broadcast operations.
• Control Rooms: Modern broadcast centers have multiple control rooms. Remember to include these spaces during programming.

Medical Simulation Labs:

• Dedicated Infrastructure: Medical simulation spaces often require telecom rooms, operator control rooms, and paging systems, separate from building-wide systems.
• Specialized Lighting: These spaces may require different lighting configurations than traditional classrooms, enhancing realism in simulated environments and providing necessary lighting for video recording.
• Control Rooms: Med Sim labs need dedicated space for operator control rooms.

The Bigger Picture: Integrating Technology into Institutional Growth

Effective technology master planning ensures that new and existing buildings, systems, and services operate seamlessly, benefiting the institution. From reducing disruptions during construction to preparing for future expansions, these efforts align technological investments with long-term campus goals.

As campuses evolve, technology planning must remain dynamic. It must embrace innovations like WIFI 7, advanced audiovisual systems, and secure data centers while ensuring legacy systems are seamlessly integrated. The result? A connected, forward-looking campus that empowers students, faculty, and administrators to thrive in a digitally enriched environment.

By prioritizing technology master planning, higher education institutions address present needs and position themselves for future success, creating more innovative, safer, and more efficient campus facilities.

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Perry Artese, CTS-D, is a senior design consultant at Phase Shift Consulting in Glen Rock, PA. He can be reached at [email protected]. This is his first article for Facilities Manager.