Campus Planning

It is an unprecedented time for future planning of the CSU campus. The recent reveal of the Courageous Strategic Transformation, the development of the Academic Master plan and the current efforts of space assessment will all support and inform the update of the physical master plan. The most recent master plan realized the investment of nearly $1.6 billion in buildings and infrastructure and an increase of nearly 3.4 million gross square feet. The current physical master plan will require the update of several secondary component plans, helping to inform growth projections and needs of the future.

The Campus Planning section of Facilities Management provides comprehensive operational and physical planning for the University’s 2,300-acre campus. We focus on facilitation of the planning process, including campus master planning efforts, landscape architecture design and consultation; and creation of environmental graphics and signage. Campus physical exterior planning efforts include:

  • Provide support for strategic planning and campus master plan initiatives.
  • Help to coordinate campus precinct studies, wayfinding, and other exterior land use studies.
  • Assist and help to coordinate applicable campus sustainability initiatives into facilities planning projects.
  • Assist in the assessment and development of campus pedestrian pathways, ADA accessibility, transportation networks, and other plans as needed.

We provide space, survey, and mapping services: professional geographic information services, drafting, design, analysis, and space allocation for the University, and the maintenance and analysis of its physical assets. This team maps CSU’s property boundaries, verifying space for 25 CSU campus locations in Colorado and Wyoming, including the CSU Board of Governors Systems Office. We also track space for CSU property outside of these states. The data that we collect is used for many diverse needs, such as installing and rekeying door locks; utilities billing; resolving questions of land ownership, easements, leases, and agreements; and identifying accessible parking, ADA doors, and preferred accessible pathways.

A major part of this team’s efforts in 2020 and 2021 involved COVID-related planning scenarios, such as developing a workable plan for 6-foot, 3-foot, and full-capacity learning, and building in assigned seating for classrooms based on regularly changing guidelines.

Public outreach, committee facilitation, and communications are also important components of the planning process. Learn more below.

The Facilities Management Campus Planning section within the Division of University Operations includes:

  • Terry Adams, Interior Design Project Manager
  • Lyle Church, Planning Specialist GIS/DIS
  • Gargi Duttgupta, Campus Planner, Assistant Director FM
  • David Hansen, University Landscape Architect
  • Julia Innes, Program Assistant
  • Jessica Kramer, Environmental Graphic Designer
  • Mike Shortall, Drawing Management/Building CAD Tech
  • Jillian Zucosky, University Space Data Manager
  • TBD, Utility-Mapping CAD Tech/GPS Surveyor

Campus Planner

The campus planner oversees both the external and internal space planning needs of the University. Through this role, the planner is responsible for leading all aspects of physical campus planning, land use, new buildings, as well as additions and modifications to existing buildings and sites. The development of long-range plans help to determine the future needs for capital outlay projects of buildings, infrastructure, land needs, and services. The planner leads the development and implementation of the Campus Master Plan, Campus sub-area plans, School/College/Division unit Facilities Master Plans and the advance planning initiatives that result from those high-level, guiding facilities planning documents.

Overseeing procedures and effective management systems of interior space planning in collaboration with the Office of the Provost, results in an optimization in facility utilization and management. With the support of comprehensive space planning reports and facility use studies for functional alignment, new initiatives, and space consolidation, utilization and efficiency initiatives of university facilities can be realized. Contact: Gargi Duttgupta

The campus planner facilitates and sets agendas and committee process for:

The campus planner plays a supportive role to:

Landscape Architecture

Exterior spaces at Colorado State are an integral part of the campus fabric and experience that all users can enjoy. Through thoughtful Landscape Architectural design, we can create and develop site planning and landscape design solutions to improve outdoor environments on campus. We are the primary approver of site-specific planning and design, and provide an interface between Facilities Management and the greater campus community on all issues related to exterior spaces and infrastructure. This role includes the production of landscape design construction documents and specifications to bidding contractors; construction administration for site-related scope on capital construction and remodel projects; and providing quality control review of consultant drawings to verify they meet CSU standards and afford safe solutions for our campus community. Having a lead role in campus access is also a critical element to successful site planning and design. Through a multi-modal lens, we develop concepts, policies, and specific plans for the circulation of vehicles, transit, bikes, and pedestrians making the campus easier and safer to navigate for all users. Contact: David Hansen

Signage, Wayfinding, & Environmental Graphics

We delve into the small and big picture logistics of graphics, signage, and wayfinding. We address wayfinding at multiples scales including directional signs to different campuses and key buildings, and to major destinations within buildings. Wayfinding also includes temporary wayfinding plans around construction projects on campus. Additionally, we oversee the CSU exterior signage standards, such as building address signs, interpretive signs, and bike/pedestrian directional and informational signage. Our team creates specific signage for a variety of campus audiences, working directly with those clients from the design and planning stages to coordinating with outside fabricators. Moreover, we collaborate with CSU Marketing & Communications to oversee the Signs, Posters, Banners and Flyers Policy.

Our team develops and oversees the interior inclusive signage standards as well. These include signs for all gender restrooms, lactation rooms, reflection rooms and spaces, restrooms with no loud noises, and spaces with adult and baby changing tables. We develop interior wayfinding to elevators and to accessible building entrances and restrooms. Visit the CSU planning, design and construction standards website and scroll down to the “Signage” section.

Environmental graphic solutions include developing graphics and collateral for presentations, campus master plans and planning documents, and construction projects. This also includes creating graphics and content for the Physical Development Committee, the Master Plan Committee, and the University Public Art Committee. Contact: Jessica Kramer

Physical Inclusivity and Accessibility

Our team helps to steward physical inclusivity on campus, in conjunction with the CSU Inclusive Physical and Virtual Campus Committee. This involves developing strategic plans for inclusive physical facilities ranging from the incorporation of universal design in all spaces to all gender restrooms to entrances that need automatic door operators. We provide oversight and review of plans and designs for remodels and new buildings to ensure the CSU inclusive physical standards and goals are achieved.

We help ensure our campus is physically accessible. This includes ongoing site visits across campus to identify critical accessibility needs and developing strategic plans for funding to improve these elements and spaces. We oversee the communication of major campus closures to our campus community, such as the closures of streets, sidewalks, ramps, bike paths, building entrances, and elevators. We coordinate with project managers and contractors to develop temporary detour and construction wayfinding plans for the campus. Contact: Jessica Kramer

Utility Mapping

Utility Mapping for CSU campuses utilizes AutoCAD Software and a handheld GPS unit to survey all utilities, roads, sidewalks, site features, new building foundations, and new building additions. This survey data is downloaded to create a computer graphic. The utility data and site information are available to CSU Project Managers, engineering firms, and contractors for all campus projects. Many times, we are able to help at a construction site by giving detailed information on where a utility, buried water valve, or buried manhole is. Contact: TBD

Drawing Management

Interior spaces are vital to the functions of the University. Information associated with our buildings is gathered by our team utilizing traditional and advanced methods to ensure floorplans and the information within are accurate. The data collected is incorporated into a master floor plan that is utilized by Emergency Response Teams, Environmental Health and Safety, Architects, Designers, Project Managers, etc.  These plans are available for the campus community to utilize as well.  You can find them here: https://www.fm.colostate.edu/floorplans/. Drawing Management is also responsible for maintaining electronic archives of past projects to assist with the daily maintenance of the University. The archives include but are not limited to record drawings, operation & maintenance records, warranties, and specifications. Contact: Mike Shortall

Interior Design Project Management

We meet with the building occupants to figure out what will make them the most successful in their space. This role supports interior design, furniture purchasing, and layouts for capital construction projects of new buildings and major renovations. The intent is to convert the basic layout into what becomes functioning space by moving users through numerous decisions, from branding and aesthetics down to the most invisible considerations such as how much weight a table can hold for their needs. Contact: Terry Adams

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) /Data Information Systems (DIS) Planning

GIS/DIS planning involves taking the comprehensive data that the team collects and translates it into the CSU Interactive Map, which highlights what is best about CSU and makes it easy for people can find exactly the resources they need. It contains numerous helpful features, such as Loading Zones (under Parking); Compost and Recycle (under Sustainability); All Gender Restrooms and Commuter Showers (under Inclusive Resources); and so on. If you need to locate the departments’ and deans’ offices, just use the interactive map. This role manages GIS data and creates maps for a wide variety of needs at CSU including the Annual Visitor and Parking Map, which many prospective students and parents use when coming to CSU, utility and construction maps to assist Facilities Management operations, and lands mapping of our campus areas across the state. Contact: Lyle Church

Space Allocation and Data Management

The role of space allocation and data management is to understand exactly how much square footage each department takes up and who pays for it, which helps CSU to appropriately assign spaces. If a department needs to move temporarily to a new location because of a major renovation or move permanently due to construction of a new building or a space opening up, we work with the project team and the department to help identify potential availability of vacant space on campus. While the primary charge of major project related or new program related space allocation (temporary /swing space) rests with the project team and the impacted department, the campus planning space allocation component is able to assist in identifying available resources. We audit campus spaces, physically walking each building and checking on each room, making sure the space is used for its intended function. We enter all the data that our team gathers into a database called AiM, and are able to pull up any statistics needed for the many inquiries we receive, including information that supports analysis and reporting. We also track the officially approved names of CSU buildings, including the acronyms, the nicknames, and the retired names. Contact: Jillian Zucosky

Public Outreach & Committees

We represent Facilities Management on several formal committees, including those listed above. Additional committees include the Parking Services Committee and the Campus Bicycle Advisory Committee, the Classroom Review Board, and the Committee for Inclusive Physical and Virtual Spaces on Campus. Internal to our department, a few from our group are members of the FM JEDI Team.

Additionally, our team oversees and implements the memorial donations program to the campus for trees and benches, the Campus Aesthetic Guidelines, and the Exterior Campus Signage Standards, incorporating new signage standards as needed. We steward the Inclusivity Building Standards into our CSU Building Standards, reviewing projects throughout the programming, design, and construction phases. More broadly, we represent CSU in collaboration with the City of Fort Collins Planning and Transportation departments to realize future visions for our city.

Internal & External Facilities Management Communications

We support communications from/to the department and university regarding Facilities Management projects, initiatives, and employee-related programs.

Facility Naming

Campus Planning oversees the process for naming new facilities and renaming existing facilities. This includes names for buildings, green spaces and other structures.  If a facility (buildings, structures, streets, green spaces, etc.) is requested to be named after a person, contact University Advancement, who oversees that naming review and approval process.

For naming/renaming facilities not related to a person, start by completing the Facility Name Request Form and then contact Jessica Kramer.

General facility naming/renaming guidelines:

  • Preference that building names are chosen to last into the future and do not change often.
  • In general, keep buildings names generic.
  • Placeholder names may be used until donors come along.
  • Preference from previous building naming has been mixed on naming or not naming buildings for the function inside. If the function of the building could easily change, then naming needs careful consideration.
    • Example: Biology was specifically built with labs. The function won’t change regarding what it was built for. However, Clark’s function could change; therefore, it doesn’t make sense to name that building for Liberal Arts because of its possibility of changing.
  • Use of “building” in the name is not recommended. Proposals for new building names or name changes will include the reason or intent for why they’re including “building” on the name.
  • Use of “Center” or “Institute” on name – not recommended unless it is a unique center or institute with no overlap from other departments doing similar work. The “Center” needs to take most or all of the space within the building; it would need to be a large function.
  • Use universally understood descriptor (e.g. lab).
  • With large additions on buildings, the building name should stay the same, unless the donor is donating to change the building name.
  • Keep the name short, so it doesn’t get a nickname.
  • If building name is long, then careful consideration is needed for the abbreviation. Do not use humorous or cute abbreviations. Try to stay away from building names as abbreviations.
    • Foothills Campus is an exception for abbreviations.
  • Choose names not similar to building names already in use.
    • Remote facilities sometimes are an exception.
  • Do not use a building name as a substitute for wayfinding or branding.