Campus Framework
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The
purpose of developing a Campus Framework is to discover and fully
understand the assets and limitations of the campus and to identify opportunities
for campus improvements. Studies
were completed in the areas of city context; campus history; campus uses;
space utilization; open space and athletic field utilization; circulation,
traffic, and parking; deferred maintenance; and land acquisition strategy.
The following is a brief summary of the campus framework.
City
Context
examines
the neighborhood and community around the campus that affects the campus
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East
Campus:
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An 85-acre campus located
one mile north of downtown Billings at the base of the Rimrocks.
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Situated
at the northern terminus of Broadway Street, the campus has an excellent
connection to the adjacent medical corridor and the downtown business
district.
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The campus is located
adjacent to three substantial residential neighborhoods.
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Arterial streets border the
campus on three sides, establishing good vehicular access to residential
areas to the west, north to the airport and continuing east to the
Billings Heights community, and south to the downtown business area and
Interstate 90.
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Arterial streets also
restrict pedestrian and vehicular flow between the main campus area and
disconnected University components such as the Physical Education
facility, family housing area, College of Business, and the Facility
Services complex.
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The campus is served by the
city’s MET bus system.
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The BBWA Canal, a regional
irrigation waterway, travels along the southern border of the campus.
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The University owns a large
parcel of residential land immediately to the west of the campus that
serves as a land resource for future campus expansion.
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West Campus:
- A 16-acre campus located approximately seven miles
west of downtown Billings.
- Bounded on the east by the Career Center, a public
high school facility; on the south by a major arterial street, and on
the north and west by Central Avenue, agricultural property.
- The campus is one-half mile east of Shiloh Road, a
major connection to a new Interstate 90 Interchange.
- The campus is situated in West Billings, the most
rapidly growing part of Billings.
- The West Billings Master Plan designates the
intersection of Central Avenue and Shiloh Road, immediately west of the
campus, as a commercial center.
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Campus History provides an historical overview and looks at the
physical development of the campus from its founding reviewing the
patterns and policies that have shaped the campus as it stands
today. Noteworthy
historical events are:
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Founded
in 1927 as the Eastern Montana State Normal School, the fifth
unit of the University of Montana.
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Operating
initially in rented space in downtown Billings.
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McMullen
Hall, constructed in 1935, was the first significant building on
campus and featured a dominant center tower.
McMullen continues to serve as the campus icon and
landmark.
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175
students, mostly women, were enrolled at the beginning of World
War II, growing to 4,000 students by the 1960’s.
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In
1965, resulting from Legislative action, the name changed from the
Eastern Montana College of Education to Eastern Montana College.
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During
the 1990’s the name was changed to the current Montana State
University - Billings.
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The
campus has maintained an enrollment of about 4,000 students but
offerings have expanded to reflect the needs of the region.
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Most
campus facilities were constructed between 1946 and the
1980’s, with many having at least one renovation project
during the past 20 years.
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The
most recent campus facility improvement is the expansion and
remodeling of College of Education and Human Services.
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Campus Land Use
defines the utilization of campus land and
facilities, while looking for utilization patterns and relationships.
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The
MSU-Billings generally follows an ideal campus configuration
locating an academic core in the center, surrounded by
administrative space, residence halls, library, and student union.
The outer perimeter contains public assembly space, athletics,
recreation, physical plant space, maintenance, shipping, receiving,
and parking. North 27th
Street, a highly traveled four lane arterial street, limits
east-west pedestrian access between the physical education building,
family housing areas and the main campus. Safe, but limited access
is provided by one pedestrian tunnel under North 27th Street. Art;
music; Apsaruke Hall, which contains the College of Professional
Studies and Lifelong Learning and the Nursing program; and the
College of Business are exceptions to an ideal campus layout.
Located outside the academic core, but near enough to be part of the
campus. Parking
intrudes into the academic core adjacent to the library. Parking
forms the perimeter of the campus presenting an image to the
community of asphalt parking lots. The
College of Technology located at the West Campus is a
self-contained satellite operation.
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| Open Space Use
defines the character of primary open space ono campus. Open space is
critical to establishing and maintaining a sense of place and establishing
campus identity, and provides a separation from surrounding uses. |
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- The
primary pedestrian space on campus is an active Pedestrian
Mall between the liberal Arts Building, the Library, the
Science Building, and the College of Education and Human Services.
- The Informal
Yard, a place defining space between Petro Hall and McMullen
Hall, is an informal and inviting location for art, gatherings,
events, and pick-up recreation, etc.
- By removing
the Computer Annex and tennis courts, the informal yard could be
extended east towards the Physical Education Building to link the
east side of the campus back into the campus core.
- The
new Peaks to Plains Park is a meaningful open space on campus but is
located on the "backside" of the campus. Although not a
major circulation pathway, the park could have significant
University and public utilization by removing the parking along the
service drive and between the Library and McMullen Hall to better
connect it to the core of the campus. A major north-south pedestrian
spine could then be developed making a stronger link between the
park, the informal yeard, and McMullen Hall.
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Athletic and Physical Education Field Use
defines the nature of athletics, physical education, and recreation
on campus.
- A
competition soccer field is located at the West Campus.
- A Softball
complex is located north of the Physical Education Building.
- Tennis
courts are located east of the Computer Annex.
- Additional
soccer and softball fields are desirable.
- Relocation
of the tennis courts northeast of the Physical Education Building
will significantly improve a campus open concept.
- The ideal
location of additional athletic and physical education fields is in
proximity of the Physical Education Building.
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Circulation, Traffic, and Parking
studies examine the relationship between facility users and their
modes of transportation. This study looks at the pedestrian and
vehicular circulation on campus as they relate to each other, the
facilities, and emergency and service access. It is compared to
standard 5 to 10-minute walking distances desired on pedestrian
campuses like MSU-Billings, the distance a person would be more
inclined to walk rather than drive to reach a particular
destination. |
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- In
general, adequate parking is currently available on-campus creating
a pedestrian oriented academic core.
- Most of the
academic core is accessible within a 4-minute walk. Exceptions are
the distance between the Liberal Arts Building and the College of
Business, the distance between the Virginia Lane/Rimrock Road
parking lot and Cisel Hall, Art Buildings, and Physical Education
Building.
- The location
of the new parking structure suggests a more intensive utilization
on the east side of the campus.
- Long-term
campus development would require an additional parking structure
built west of Normal Avenue and south of Rimrock Road.
- With
expansion of uses east of 27th Street, additional traffic signals,
tunnels, or pedestrian bridges may be needed.
- Pedestrian
crossings of automobile circulation systems, driveways, and parking
lots that intrude into the pedestrian zone of the campus should be
limited or eliminated.
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Deferred Maintenance examines campus
facility conditions, rating each building by components to determine its life
cycle value. The Planning Team met with the Facilities Services Department to
rate the existing buildings.
Each building was rated to be in one of four categories:
good condition, requiring general renovation, requiring major renovation,
consider demolition. Ten buildings were identified to be in good condition,
seven buildings needing general renovation, four buildings needing major
renovation and one that should be considered for demolition. This study did
not review whether the buildings met the educational mission of the
University, but was purely a deferred maintenance ranking for each building.
Several of the buildings requiring major renovation are included as priorities
in Phase 1 of the Master Planning Implementation as well as several new or
expanded facilities. |
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Good
Condition
- College of Education and
Human Services
- Family Housing
- Parking Garage
- Alumni House
- Apsaruke Hall
- Chancellor's Residence
- KEMC Radio Station
- Facilities Services
- Poly Building
- Cisel Recital Hall
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General
Renovation
- Student Union Building
- Petro Hall
- Rimrock Hall
- Physical Education Building
- Arts Annex
- Library Building
- College of Business
- College of Technology
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Major
Renovation
- Liberal Arts
- McMullen Hall
- Science
- Cisel Hall
Consider Demolition
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| Space
Utilization determines how efficiently classroom space is
used. This study focused on general purpose classrooms, which have
more flexible uses. Of the 103 classrooms and lab/classrooms used on
campus during Fall 1999, there were three seminar rooms with
capacities of 15 students or less. There were 35 small classrooms,
holding between 16 and 30 students, 42 medium classrooms with
capacities of 31 to 45, and 23 large classrooms, which hold 46 to 65
students.
100% utilization indicates that the room is
scheduled 35 hours per week.
Occupancy was calculated by dividing the
average number of students in a classroom by the number of stations
available in that classroom. Goal occupancy is 60%.
Overall, the average course
size was 19 students and the average student station occupancy was
53%. Utilization was higher in large classrooms and early in the
day, typically between 9 and 11 a.m. 
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A 60-minute format is typically used for classes that meet three
days per week, generally Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The adjacent
graph shows the number of classes that begin at each hour of the
day, indicating peak and valley demand times for the most flexible
use rooms, such as: classroom, lab/classrooms, and lecture halls.
The peak demand for classrooms is between 9:00 a.m. and 11 a.m.
There are limited class offerings after 3:00 p.m. and utilization is
low.
A 90-minute format is typically used for
classes that meet two days per week, generally Tuesday and Thursday.
The adjacent graph shows the number of classes that begin at each
hour of the day, indicating peak and valley demand times for the
most flexible use rooms. The peak demand for classrooms is between
9:00 a.m. and 10 a.m. and utilization is high. There are more
classes offered in the afternoon and evening than on the 60-minute
schedule, but the utilization is still low in the late afternoon.
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| Land
Acquisition Strategy determines the optimum campus boundary
achievable by the campus at some future date.
It was determined that the existing campus
boundary is sufficient to accommodate projected student populations.
If the University programs expand or the
mission of the institution is expanded, additional land may be
required.
A long-range land acquisition strategy should
be in place to address future, but unknown, land needs.
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