Stop before you build: Space utilization, culture change, and capital avoidance

Higher education can no longer afford the cost of underutilized space—and solving that problem demands as much from leadership and culture as it does from facilities planning. A campus-wide utilization study at Carroll College revealed hidden capacity across classroom and general campus spaces—findings compelling enough to stop a planned building project and deliver a significant capital win. Amy Clark and Dan Byrd detail the modernizations and upgrades that made existing spaces more functional and desirable, the cultural shifts that changed how space is scheduled and shared, and the leadership required to drive both.