Building a New School & Technology Infrastructure

In my years at my former employer, we constructed several (15+) campuses. It was one of the most fun and entertaining parts of the job. I wanted to pass along some of the things I learned along with some templates and possible recommendations for cabling, infrastructure, power, etc.

First, I recommend breaking the design down into sections so the problem is much more manageable. Areas that should be considered. I'll be filling in the sections as we go!
  1. Operational Rooms and Areas
    1. Technology Rooms
      1. MDFs
      2. IDFs
    2. Mechanical Rooms
    3. Electrical Rooms
    4. Pathways
      1. Above Ceiling space (the Plenum area)
      2. Below floor areas (crawl spaces)
      3. Exposed pathways (Architectural design areas)
  2. Teaching Areas
    1. Typical Classrooms
    2. Atypical classrooms
      1. Art
      2. Music
      3. Others
    3. Labs
    4. Libraries
    5. Breakout Areas
    6. Lecture Halls
    7. Flex Rooms
  3. Connecting Areas
    1. Hallways
    2. Outdoor Areas
  4. Common Areas
    1. Cafeterias
    2. Libraries
    3. Athletic Areas
      1. Gyms
      2. Stadiums
    4. Others
  5. Administrative Areas
    1. Teacher Workrooms
    2. Office Suites
  6. "wt..." areas
    1. Any space bigger than 6'*6' but not a "room"
      1. book closets
      2. areas under the stairs (harry potter areas)
    2. Any space with a window
    3. Any space with a sink (custodial closets)
Before getting started, you must:
  1. Get to know your customer 
  2. Get to know your architect
  3. Get to know your construction manager
  4. Get to know your dates and times
    1. Construction Dates
      1. When do we start
      2. Underground work times
      3. When are we are we weathered
      4. When are we double-sided
      5. When are ceilings closed
      6. When are inspections scheduled
      7. When is the expected CO date
      8. When is the building turned over to owner
      9. When will "people" be in the building
    2. How long is lead times from "your" vendors
      1. Cable plant equipment
        1. Indoor Fiber
        2. Indoor UTP
        3. Outdoor Fiber 
        4. Campus Interconnections
          1. Private Fiber
          2. Leased via local Telcom
      2. Network Electronics
        1. Switches
        2. APs
        3. Cameras
        4. Speakers
        5. Phones
        6. Access Control Equipment
        7. Others
      3. UPS and batteries
      4. Cabinets
      5. Other electronics
        1. Projectors
        2. Others
      6. E-Rate timelines (if applicable)

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