In this podcast interview, John D'Angelo, vice president of facilities at Northwestern University, discusses universal design, Northwestern's culture of "and," shifting teaching and learning methods, and how KPIs create cross-department collaboration.
(0:15) – On universal design, why it’s important to Northwestern, and some examples from campus.
- Universal design is really about adapting the environment to our people instead of making people adapt to the environment.
- Universal design is all about dignity.
- Typically in architecture, you see buildings put up on pedestals.
- ADA – Americans with Disabilities Act – is really a minimum. It’s not the epitome.
- Universal design, when it’s done well, is much more cost-effective than ADA
(3:06) – On Northwestern’s philosophy of “AND”
- Facility managers tend to have a thousand issues they’re juggling at any one time, and trying to solve those individual issues is a nightmare.
- By taking the issues, and grouping them in such a way that you can drive a single solution through many of those issues, you get that “and” effect.
- Great example at Northwestern: Common Space – takes competing needs and combines them together
- Lobbies, lactation rooms, inclusivity/gender-neutral restrooms.
- Energy efficiency and dignity through design
- The program (Common Space) solves a dozen of those issues in a controlled and repeatable manner.
- If we can solve issues of energy efficiency and inclusivity with the same program, those are the “ands” we’re looking for.
(8:22) – On shifting methods of teaching and learning, and how space needs and operations at Northwestern are changing to accommodate
- In the past, we’d always find the most hidden and secluded spot to study.
- Students now study in small group – need more access to online resources.
- Adapt quiet, secluded spaces to small, medium, and large group study spaces.
- Free up space in library by digitizing books, and converting to study areas.
- Needs have definitely changed – lots more IT-intensive, lot less physical
- Experiential learning – it’s not just about the formula anymore. Let’s go out in the field and apply it.
- Northwestern’s Solar Decathlon success.
(12:55) – On KPIs, transparency, and why it’s important that everyone in FM and across campus are on the same page
- If you have programs that are very critical to you, there ought to be a way to tell if you’re tracking to your goal or not.
- One of the things we do that gets back to “and” is using KPIs to bring real estate, planning, design, construction, operation, maintenance, and sustainability together.
- What we’ve done is tie business line leaders together with a common KPI deck.
- Metrics have all our critical processes, and each of our directors is responsible for entire deck. Sustainability responsible for construction, etc.
- Maintain credibility by publishing KPIs.
- KPIs can be downloaded by anyone in the university and my peers at other universities.
posted: 11/30/2017
