The systems approach to school construction: the potential benefits, the necessary conditions, and the implications for Michigan schools

This study of the systems approach to school construction consisted of three sub-studies. The first sub-study was conducted to determine what the planners and users of systems school buildings perceived to be the potential benefits of the systems approach to school construction. The second sub-study was conducted to determine those fundamental conditions that a select group of experts in the school plant planning field perceived to be important for the full realization of the potential benefits of the systems approach to school construction. The third sub-study was conducted to determine the extent to which those conditions perceived to be important for the full realization of the potential benefits of the systems approach to school construction are to be found in Michigan. Twenty-four potential benefits were identified through the use of questionnaire data that were submitted by users and planners of systems buildings in the California School Construction Systems Development (SCSD) project, the Toronto Study of Educational Facilities (SEF) project, and the Florida Schoolhouse Systems (SSP) project. Lower construction costs, higher quality of construction, shorter project delivery time, and more flexible school buildings are among the potential benefits that may be realized in systems school construction. The use of systems does not appear to guarantee these benefits, but it has permitted them. Twenty conditions perceived to be important to the optimal realization of the potential benefits of the systems approach were identified through questionnaires submitted by a select group of nationally and internationally recognized experts in the school plant planning field. Many of these conditions are equally important to the traditional approach to school construction, but some are distinctive. Systems projects that are designed to develop one or more new building systems have special requirements particularly related to the need for a large-volume market. The single-school systems approach requires subsystems already on the market. Data used to compare the existing conditions in Michigan with those conditions perceived to be important to systems construction were obtained through personal interviews. Sources of information included: the Michigan Department of Education, the Health Department, school administrators, the Michigan Association of School Administrators, a school attorney, architects, the Fire Marshal, and a building trades union official. School board members and school administrators in Michigan generally are not aware of the potential benefits that may be realized through systems construction. The -Michigan Department of Education has not promoted systems construction in Michigan. Large scale systems development projects are not feasible for Michigan at this time. The off-the-shelf use of systems is the approach to systems construction that currently offers the greatest promise to school districts in Michigan. There are no identifiable conditions in Michigan that prevent use of this approach. At the same time, there are no indications of pressures that would hasten the widespread use of this approach.