Space Management Procedure

Policy code: OG2130
Policy owner: Associate Director, Projects and Asset Services
Approval authority: Executive Director, Transformation, Assets and Commercial
Approval date: 16 October 2026
Next review date: 15 October 2029

Purpose

This procedure mandates the management, allocation and assignment of space in accordance with Section 2 of the Operations Governance Policy.  

Scope

This procedure applies to all physical spaces owned or operated by the University and utilised by members of the University’s community whether for learning and teaching, research, administration or other operational purposes. It should be complied with when: 

  • requesting, assigning and reallocating space; 
  • refurbishing space; 
  • making a request for additional space; and 
  • reviewing existing space allocations and assignments. 

This procedure does not apply to properties managed or utilised by partner provider organisations or Technology Park properties. 

Legislative context

  • Federation University Australia Act 2010 
  • Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (Vic) 
  • Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017 (Vic) 
  • Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Cth) 
  • Work Health and Safety Act 2011 No 10 (NSW) 
  • Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (QLD) 
  • Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards) 2021 
  • Tertiary Education Facilities Management Association TEFMA Inc. – Space Planning Guidelines 
  • Disability Discrimination Act 1992 
  • Disability Services Act 2006 (QLD) 
  • Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 (NSW) 
  • Equal Opportunity Act 1984 (SA) 
  • Equal Opportunity Act 2010 (Vic) 
  • Gender Equality Act 2020 (Vic) 
  • Workers Compensation Act 1987 
  • Workplace Injury and Management and Workers Compensation Act 1998 

Definitions

Term  Definition 
Allocation  The University's determination of the approved function, management responsibility and permitted use of a space. Space allocation does not imply ownership and may be amended, reassigned or revoked in response to changing University priorities, operational requirements or utilisation outcomes. 
Assignment  The operational process used to assign responsibility for managing or occupying a space in accordance with an approved space allocation. Assignments can be by Organisational Unit, by shared use, or by individual. 
Earmarked  A space allocation or assignment held for a defined future purpose, approved project, strategic initiative or pending allocation/assignment decision. 
Frequency target  The target number of people the space was booked or timetabled for (or actually used) against the theoretical capacity of that space. 
Gender impact assessment  A procedure that ensures better and fairer access to services and facilities for people of differing genders. It is a legislative requirement for any policy, program or service (including facility) that has a direct and significant impact on the public (including our students). 
HDR  Higher Degree by Research 
Occupancy target  The target number of hours a space is booked or actually used against the total number of operation hours. 
Room bookings 

Higher Education and TAFE timetables. 

Ad hoc bookings - any bookings that are not included in the timetable e.g. training, meetings, events. 

Space 

A defined physical location within University premises that support academic, research, and administrative functions. 

  • Teaching space - Space used for learning, teaching, research and other related activities. 

  • Non-teaching space - Space not scheduled for timetabled classes which may be used for meetings, events, training or other activities. Also includes e.g. workspaces, circulation, plant. 

Space Register  The University's authoritative record of all owned, leased and licensed spaces, including location, area, utilisation, allocation, capacity and functional classification. 
Space management 

Refers to both strategic and operational management of physical space: 

  • Strategic – all activity up to and including the acquisition and commissioning of university space. 

  • Operational – all activity associated with the allocation, assignment and utilisation of university space including booking, timetabling and maintenance. 

TEFMA  Tertiary Education Facilities Management Association – representing facilities management in the Australasian tertiary education sector. 
Temporary  A space allocation or assignment approved for a fixed period, after which the allocation must be reviewed or automatically expires. 
Timetables  Scheduling of learning, teaching and research activities including assessments and examinations. 
University premises  All land and buildings owned, leased or occupied by the University. 
UFA  Usable Floor Area. The floor area within all habitable areas but excluding common use areas such as shared corridors, lifts, stairs and service ducts. 
Utilisation target  The product of the frequency target and the occupancy target.
WMMS  Works and Maintenance Management System 
VCST  Vice-Chancellor's Senior Team 

Actions

Assigning university space

University space is an institutional asset. Space allocations establish the approved function and management framework for a space. The assignment of a space to an organisational unit or activity does not confer ownership or permanent entitlement. 

  Activity  Responsibility  Steps 
A  Requesting changes to space assignment  VCST member (or delegate agreed with Document Owner) 
  1. Submit a request to add, modify or remove space assignment via the Space Change Request Form. Note: only requests that have a VCST member approval will be considered to ensure strategic alignment. 

  2. Specify requested changes (e.g. changing the assignment of rooms between organisational units, changing workspace capacity, modifying functional use) and reasons for them. 

  3. If a new space (i.e. space that did not previously exist in the asset portfolio), provide approved business case and other formal documentation (e.g. lease/license agreements) to Approval Authority. 

B  Assessing the Space Change Request Form  Coordinator, Space Management 
  1. Review the request against strategic priorities, Campus Vision objectives, TEFMA benchmarks, design standards, utilisation data, and space management principles. 

  2. Consult with the requester and affected Organisational unit manager(s) as required) to clarify operational needs. 

  3. Conduct change impact assessment through the lenses of people, process and technology impact.  

  4. Conduct gender impact assessment. 

  5. Formulate a space change proposal, which summarises the above steps and provides a recommendation and cost estimate to implement, as well as endorsement by the requesting VCST member or delegate. 

At the discretion of the Coordinator, Space Management, a Space Change Request Form may be referred for approval under the Project Management Framework in accordance with the Operations Governance Policy, where the request may require significant resources, have broader strategic implications or involve project dependencies.

C Approving a space change proposal 
  1. Coordinator, Space Management 

  2. Manager, Planning and Design 

  3. Document Owner 

  4. Approval Authority 

  1. Minor operational changes within existing assignment.  

  2. Changes affecting assignments, allocations, utilisation capacity, or requiring minor expenditure. 

  3. Significant reallocations or assignments, strategic changes, or refurbishment works. 

  4. Campus-wide, high-value, or strategically significant allocations or assignments.  

Alternatively, at the discretion of the Approval Authority, a space change proposal could become a project and be subject to the Project Management Framework approval process as per the Operations Governance Policy. 

Coordinator, Space Management to obtain signature from all applicable approvers. 

D Update the University's Space Register  Coordinator, Space Management 
  1. Update the University's Space Register, occupancy database and associated records to reflect approved changes. 

  2. Communicate the decision to the requestor and any other relevant parties related to day-to-day operations e.g. Scheduling Services for teaching spaces, Property and Infrastructure for operations and maintenance. 

E Managing assigned space  VCST member (or delegate agreed with Document Owner) 
  1. Manage the day-to-day use of the assigned space in accordance with the approved space allocation, University policies and supporting standards. 

  2. Ensure all staff comply with space allocation conditions, utilisation expectations, and relevant codes of practice. 

  3. If change to space assignments are required, repeat this Action from Activity A. 

Reviewing space utilisation

Property and Infrastructure will undertake periodic reviews of allocated space to identify: 

  1. underutilised and/or under-optimised space; 

  2. opportunities for consolidation; 

  3. opportunities for sharing; 

  4. allocations no longer aligned to University priorities; 

  5. opportunities to support Campus Vision objectives. 

Where under-utilisation is identified, the University may amend or revoke allocations following consultation with affected stakeholders. 

  Activity  Responsibility  Steps 
A  Collecting and auditing of space utilisation data  Coordinator, Space Management 
  1. Collect utilisation data through swipe-card access, sensor data, timetabling reports, IT hardware access logs, and manual audits (in line with data privacy requirements under the Operations Governance Policy). 

  2. Annual audit – compare results against TEFMA benchmarks to determine under-utilisation or excess allocation. 

B  Identifying opportunities to optimise space utilisation  Coordinator, Space Management 
  1. Identify spaces for potential repurposing, reallocation or reassignment where utilisation does not meet targets. 

  2. Once endorsed by Manager, Planning and Design, submit Space Change Request Form as per “Assigning university space” action for prioritisation against other requests. 

Research space

Research spaces should be treated as University resources and managed to maximise research outcomes, collaboration, utilisation and sustainability rather than being regarded as permanently assigned to an individual researcher, project or discipline. 

  Activity  Responsibility  Steps 
A  Reviewing research space utilisation  Coordinator, Space Management 
  1. Periodically review research space utilisation and alignment with University priorities. 

B  Assessing specialist research space requirements 

Dean, Graduate Research School (or delegate); and/or 

Director, Research and Innovation (or delegate) 

  1. Identify spaces for potential repurposing or reallocation where utilisation does not meet targets. 

  2. Once endorsed by Manager, Planning and Design, submit Space Change Request Form as per “Allocating university space” action for prioritisation against other requests. 

C  Recommending reallocation opportunities  Coordinator, Space Management 
  1. Identify opportunities for co-location, sharing, consolidation or reallocation of specialist research facilities where utilisation is low. 

D  Approving changes to research space allocation  Approval Authority 
  1. Consider strategic research priorities, utilisation data, funding commitments, safety requirements and operational impacts when determining allocation decisions. 

Vacating space

  Activity  Responsibility  Steps 
A  Identifying vacated space  Organisational Unit Manager 
  1. Notify Coordinator, Space Management when space is no longer required. 

  2. Alternatively, if a space is suspected to be vacant, Coordinator, Space Management is to confirm with the relevant Organisational Unit Manager. 

B  Assessing space condition and organisational impact  Coordinator, Space Management 
  1. Check for people, process and system impacts of vacating the space and confirm no negative impact to University operations. 

  2. Determine furniture, equipment, compliance and maintenance requirements. 

C  Decommissioning 

Organisational Unit Manager 

Associate Director, Property and Infrastructure 

  1. Organisational Unit Manager to ensure records, equipment and materials are removed or transferred appropriately. 

  2. If assistance is required, raise the appropriate work orders to complete removal or transfer activities. 

  3. Property and Infrastructure to coordinate the property-related decommissioning of the floor or building.  

  4. For larger building/floor closures or consolidations, this may be managed through a separate transition or decommissioning plan under the Project Delivery Framework. 

D  Update the University's Space Register  Coordinator, Space Management 
  1. Update the University Space Register and occupancy records. 

E  Reallocation  Coordinator, Space Management 
  1. Assess the space for alternative University uses. 

  2. Recommend reallocation and reassignment where appropriate, in line with the “assigning university space” action. 

Supporting documents

Forms 

Responsibility

  • The Executive Director, Transformation, Assets and Commercial (as the Approval Authority) is responsible for monitoring the implementation, outcomes and scheduled review of this procedure. 

  • The Associate Director, Projects and Asset Services (as the Document Owner) is responsible for maintaining the content of this procedure as delegated by the Executive Director, Transformation, Assets and Commercial. 

  • The Manager, Planning and Design is responsible for the administration support for the maintenance of this procedure as directed by the Document Owner and is responsible for providing advice to the Executive Director, Transformation, Assets and Commercial on space-related matters as requested. 

Promulgation

The Space Management Procedure will be communicated throughout the University via:

  1. A FedNews announcement and on the ‘Recently Approved Documents’ page on the University’s Policy Central website.  

  2. Distribution of e-mails to Executive Deans of Institutes and Heads of Departments. 

  3. Relevant Service Hub and SharePoint pages. 

Implementation

The Space Management Procedure will be implemented throughout the University via:

  1. Central coordination by Property and Infrastructure. 

  2. Annual utilisation analysis and reporting. 

  3. Knowledge base articles and other support resources. 

Records management

Document title  Location  Responsible officer  Minimum retention period 
Space Register  SharePoint or University’s approved records management system  Manager, Planning and Design or delegate  Original electronic record will be retained in the University’s records management system by the Responsible Officer. 
Space Change Request Forms  University’s approved Customer Service Management (CSM) platform  Information Technology Services  Original electronic record will be retained in the University’s CSM platform by the Responsible Officer. 
Space Plan  SharePoint or University’s approved records management system  Manager, Planning and Design or delegate 

Original electronic records will be retained in the University’s records management system by the Responsible Officer. 

Copies can be disposed of once the administrative use has concluded. 

Gender impact assessments  SharePoint or University’s approved records management system  People and Culture  Originals will be retained in the University’s records management system by the Responsible Officer.