Facility Design Process. Needs and

¶ … facility design process. Needs and feasibility in the facility design process In the modern day society, more emphasis is coming to be placed on sports as a means to a healthier life. For the society and the economic agents, this trend materializes in an increased opportunity to create more sports centers and provide sports services to the population.

The ultimate success of a sports facility is directly dependent on a wide array of elements, such as its location, the staffs it employs, the motivation it transmits to the customers and so on. Another important criterion in the success of the sports center is represented by the design of the facility. The construction of a sports facility is a complex and intricate effort, which can last up to several years.

It is formed from several gradual stages, the Aquatic Sport Council having identified the following steps of the process: (1) the construction of the departmental master plan; (2) the approval from the council and the completion of the feasibility study; (3) the selection of the consultants; (4) the analysis of the process needs; (5) the development of the space program; (6) the master planning of the site; (7) the completion of the schematic design; (8) the completion of design development; (9) the construction of the documents; (10) the approval from the committee and the council; (11) the completion of the bidding and negotiation processes; (12) the second approval of the committee and the council; (13) the construction of the facility, and last (14) the evaluation in the post occupancy phase (Aquatic Sport Council, 2011).

The feasibility study -- the second phase in the process -- represents the assessment of the elements in a project in order to conclude whether they are feasible or not; on occasions, the feasibility study will also indicate the best course of action to be implemented in the design process.

Some issues addressed throughout the feasibility study include the scope and budget of the project, the analysis of the site, the best strategy to develop the facility, the optimal size of the facility, the structural soundness of the building, the existence of additional costs and constraints and the preparation of the final reports (Spaces for Children, 2007). The needs assessment -- the fourth phase in the design process -- is represented by the identification and analysis of the facility needs, such as space, resources and so on.

The intriguing element at this stage is represented by the fact that the needs analysis does not focus on the immediate needs of the facility, required to open and initially operate the facility, but integrates the totality of the elements which will be required for the facility to adequately function for five years (Aquatic Sport Council, 2011). The feasibility study and the needs assessment phases of the facility design process are then two different and important processes to be completed by the designers of a sports facility.

The two phases are sometimes perceived as synonyms, and this is explained by the fact that they share some similarities, such as their emphasis on longer term stability and sustainability of the facility. In addition, both the feasibility analysis and the needs analysis raise additional financial costs for the project, meaning that the final costs of the investment in the sports facility is increased. Despite the similarities however, the two phases of feasibility and needs assessment are notably different as a result of the disparities between them.

The feasibility analysis is then more complex as it focuses on numerous aspects of the facility, such as the strategies to be employed, the structure of the facility and so on. The results it generates are qualitative ones, in the meaning that they simply state whether the assessed issue is feasible or not. In the case of the needs assessment phase however, the number of assessed elements is uncertain as these are established in each situation, based on the respective needs of the project.

Furthermore, the results of the needs assessment phase are quantitative as they estimate the volume of resources needed by the facility. At the level of the roles they play in the overall facility design process, it is concluded that both the feasibility.