Construct and Maintain

According to our 18th Annual College Construction Report, just $9.7B worth of college construction was completed in 2012, a drop from previous year investments. The majority of dollars spent were for the construction of new buildings. But building new is only part of the equation; taking care of the buildings we already have in place is the other.

With the importance of higher education on the rise and enrollment continuing to climb, we will continue to need new and upgraded spaces. We will also need to set aside dollars to maintain the new facilities that we build, otherwise our investments will be squandered. Then there are all of those “other” buildings… the ones originally built in the 1920s, added on to in the ’50s, ’70s, ’90s, and so on. The truth is that a majority of our educational facilities in this country are approaching the half-century mark and are in major need of maintenance and repair!

In a 1988 report, “The Decaying American Campus: A Ticking Time Bomb,” prepared by the accounting firm of Coopers & Lybrand and sponsored by the Association of Physical Plant Administrators of Universities and Colleges and by the National Association of College and University Business Officers, we were told that by constantly deferring expenses for maintenance, colleges and universities faced an estimated $20B in urgently needed work to repair and update buildings, equipment, and utilities. The total potential need could cost up to $70B. The report also found that, despite urgent repair needs, colleges and universities deferred $4 for every $1 spent on maintenance in their 1988 budgets.

The 2010 APPA Thought Leaders Series states that higher education institutions own some of the most valuable real estate in the world with some of the most significant architecture, specialized research facilities, and beloved sports complexes. Yet while campuses and facilities were identified as strength, they were also perceived as a weakness. Aging buildings combined with rising materials and energy costs can make the physical campus a drag on the institutional budget.

Not performing routine maintenance can cost us many times over; increasing costs, wasting taxpayer dollars, and disrupting our students’ education. It’s not hard to get people excited about a new and shiny building. However, it’s time we get excited about our ability to maintain the buildings we have — giving them new life, making them better and safer places to learn. 

Featured

  • Texas District Finishes Construction on New Middle School, Admin Building

    The Westwood Independent School District recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Westwood Middle School and Administration Building in Palestine, Texas, according to a news release. The campus covers 106,000 square feet and has the capacity for 650 students in grades 6–8, and it will also play home to the district’s staff and administration.

  • New eBook Shares Guidelines on Building CTE Centers

    Career and Technical Education (CTE) curriculum and resources provider iCEV recently announced the publication of a new eBook sharing guidance and insights on building new CTE facilities, according to a news release.

  • California District Starts Construction on New Robotics Facility

    The Fremont Union High School District (FUHSD) near Silicon Valley, Calif., recently announced that construction has begun on a new Robotics Facility on the campus of Cupertino High School, according to a news release. The 14,500-square-foot facility will serve students at high schools across the entire district, providing purpose-built spaces for student creativity and collaboration.

  • Pittsburgh High School Upgrades Athletics Facilities’ Technology

    Plum Senior High School in Pittsburgh, Penn., recently partnered with South-Dakota-based Daktronics through the We’re All Mustangs Here Foundation to upgrade the technology in its athletics facilities, according to a news release. Daktronics designed, built, and installed new LED video displays and finished the project in time for the beginning of the 2025 high-school football season.

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