More than half of the school districts and colleges responding to a recent survey expect to initiate construction projects in 2017, the majority of which will be major renovations or modernizations.
College Planning & Management, which conducted the survey for its annual “2017 Facilities and Construction Brief,” also found that few school districts or institutions are banking on more funds being made available for future construction projects.
The magazine bases its mostly optimistic projections partly on demographic data that project enrollment of 18 to 24 year olds by degree-granting postsecondary institutions to increase by 13% between 2013 and 2024. Enrollment of 25 to 34 year olds during that period is expected to grow by 17%, and by 10% for enrollees 35 or older.
The report notes that while the nation’s population grew last year by 0.7%, numerical gains were concentrated in 10 states, led by Texas (432,957), Florida (367,525), and California (256,077). Contrarily, eight states lost population: Connecticut, Illinois, Mississippi, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
“We know that the population of the U.S. is growing, and along with it enrollment of our K-12 schools,” the report states. “We know there is an ongoing deferred maintenance problem and a need to invest in the improvement of existing facilities. And we know that construction and renovation of educational facilities [are] finally on the rise.”
The Census Bureau estimates that spending on education construction (which includes museums and libraries) in 2016 increased by 6.5% to $88.9 billion, the most spent since 2009 and the largest year-over-year percentage gain since 2008.
Drilling down, the report takes a closer look at past and future construction for both K-12 and colleges.
Based on responses from 90 preK-12 school districts in 33 states, 44% neither completed any construction projects in 2016, nor had any completions planned for this year. Another 47% said they wouldn’t be starting any new products this year, either.
On the positive side, 39% completed major renovations or modernizations in 2016, 34% will start a major renovation or modernization this year, and another 20% expect to complete one of these projects in 2017.
Sixteen percent of the responding school districts completed an addition last year, 16% will start an addition this year, and 18% will complete an addition in 2017.
Eighteen percent of preK-12 districts completed a new or replacement building in 2016, 27% will start one this year, and 21% will complete such a project in 2017.
Based on responses from 73 colleges or universities operating in 36 states, 27% did no construction in 2016, 32% have no construction scheduled for completion this year, and 37% have no plans to start construction in 2016.
But nearly three in five of the respondents—59%— completed a renovation or modernization in 2016, 47% plan to start such a project this year, and 53% expect to complete one in 2017.
Nearly one in five—19%—completed an addition last year, 15% will start one this year, and 28% expect to complete an addition in 2017. More than a quarter of respondents—26%—completed a new or replacement building in 2016, 27% will start one in 2017, and 36% will start one this year.
Given the strength of this construction activity, uncertainties about financing cloud future projects. Thirty-six percent of school districts thought that fewer funds would be available to them, and nearly two-fifths—39%—thought available funding would be flat. Among the college/university respondents, 43% expected to have fewer funds at their disposal, and one-third thought their funding wouldn’t change.
Related Stories
Giants 400 | Dec 16, 2020
Download a PDF of all 2020 Giants 400 Rankings
This 70-page PDF features AEC firm rankings across 51 building sectors, disciplines, and specialty services.
AEC Tech | Nov 12, 2020
The Weekly show: Nvidia's Omniverse, AI for construction scheduling, COVID-19 signage
BD+C editors speak with experts from ALICE Technologies, Build Group, Hastings Architecture, Nvidia, and Woods Bagot on the November 12 episode of "The Weekly." The episode is available for viewing on demand.
Smart Buildings | Oct 26, 2020
World’s first smart building assessment and rating program released
The SPIRE Smart Building Program will help building owners and operators make better investment decisions, improve tenant satisfaction, and increase asset value.
K-12 Schools | Oct 23, 2020
K-12 sector adjusting to ‘new priorities’
Health and safety now rank with security for design and construction criteria.
Giants 400 | Aug 28, 2020
2020 Giants 400 Report: Ranking the nation's largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms
The 2020 Giants 400 Report features more than 130 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.
University Buildings | Jul 24, 2020
A hybrid learning approach could redefine higher education
Universities reassess current assets to determine growth strategies.
Coronavirus | Mar 30, 2020
Learning from covid-19: Campuses are poised to help students be happier
Overcoming isolation isn’t just about the technological face to face, it is about finding meaningful connection and “togetherness”.
Education Facilities | Dec 5, 2019
A new Atlanta-area STEM magnet school will feature a flexible modular design
The design firm Cooper Carry combined three of its practice studios to collaborate on this project.
Giants 400 | Sep 4, 2019
Top 90 K-12 School Sector Construction Firms for 2019
Gilbane, Balfour Beatty, Turner, CORE Construction, and Skanska lead the rankings of the nation's largest K-12 school sector contractors and construction management firms, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2019 Giants 300 Report.
Giants 400 | Sep 3, 2019
Top 140 K-12 School Sector Architecture Firms for 2019
DLR Group, PBK, Huckabee, Stantec, and VLK Architects top the rankings of the nation's largest K-12 school sector architecture and architecture engineering (AE) firms, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2019 Giants 300 Report.
