by Brianna Crandall — April 19, 2021 — Gordian, a provider of facility and construction cost data, software and services for all phases of the building lifecycle, recently partnered with APPA, the organization for educational facilities professionals, to release the 8th edition of the State of Facilities in Higher Education report, which confirms a growing backlog of capital needs, funding shortfalls and enrollment challenges. Despite these growing challenges, the pandemic has revealed opportunities for colleges and universities to reimagine the kinds of campuses needed for higher education going forward.
The report confirms a growing backlog of capital needs, funding shortfalls and enrollment challenges. Image courtesy Gordian
Throughout the report, the database research and expert insights affirm the following trends that are shifting the higher education landscape:
- Backlogs of asset renewal need grew several more percentage points through 2019 and are now up to $106/GSF, a 35% increase since 2007.
- The facilities investment shortfall is approaching 25%. This troubling trend shows no sign of slowing down in years to come as funding is reduced while capital renewal need continues to rise.
- The percentage of existing buildings in need of renovation — especially those that haven’t been renovated in 10-25 years or more than 50 years — continues to grow even while many institutions have been investing in new facilities.
