As this school year comes to a close, a plan for a new era of construction is underway that will shape our campus for the coming decade.

Perkins & Will, a consulting firm for Binghamton University, unveiled the fifth and final phase of the Facilities Master Plan (FMP) at a public forum in room 252 of the Old University Union on April 13. It lays out renovation and construction plans for the campus during the 10-year period from 2013 to 2023 that would include changes to Glenn G. Bartle Library, academic buildings and facilities for BU’s forthcoming law school.

The FMP, which has been developed by the University in conjunction with Perkins & Will, is being regulated by the State University Construction Fund (SUCF). The SUCF has been directing Facilities Master Plans at each of the four-year SUNY campuses. According to this month’s FMP presentation, the goal is to address facility challenges and maximize the value of limited resources. The first four phases involved gathering information about the campus, identifying current conditions and issues, analyzing capacity and space needs and presenting concept alternatives.

The fifth phase, choosing and strategizing the final concept, was introduced at the forum on April 13 by Sarah Freidel, a planning and strategies consultant from Perkins & Will.

The final concept included plans to renovate Bartle Library and construct a new Globalization Center. According to Freidel, the final version was a synthesis of three earlier draft plans presented in a forum at BU in March.

“The third concept was the most prevalent in the components taken,” Freidel said. “But we really tried to take the best of all of them.”

The plan is divided into 10 different “program families,” including Harpur Sciences and Anthropology, Professional Programs, Libraries and Student Activities and Services. Each program family has a set of goals, plus an aerial map of the campus to indicate the areas of renovation and the location of new buildings. Goals for Harpur Sciences and Anthropology, for example, include upgrading current facilities in science buildings. The Professional Programs’ aims include expanding buildings in the Academic Complex — including Lecture Hall and the academic buildings — and constructing a new School of Law.

According to Freidel, the location of the law school has not been determined, but she and her team are hoping for it to be off campus.

“The University will work with different constituent groups in the community and they’ll determine the best location,” Freidel said. “But we are looking for it to be in an off-campus location.”

Funding for the FMP has yet to be obtained. The consultants’ final report will contain the estimated cost, which the University does not have at this time.

BU’s current capital plan runs from 2008-09 to 2012-13 and has a value of $550 million, but administration will not know for certain how much money the new plans will cost until they receive the final report and estimates.

Freidel mentioned the concept of expansion funding in this month’s presentation, which comes from two different sources.

One source is for renovation projects, which are funded through the SUCF and which must be approved by the state legislature. Historically, the legislature has been relatively eager to approve funding for the renovation of existing facilities. If that trend continues, campuses are inclined to see the same support in the future, according to SUCF representative Lachlan Squair.

“Historically New York state has shown a commitment to providing capital funding for renovation of existing buildings on campus to keep them in a state of good condition,” Squair said. “Indications are that we can expect that commitment and funding to continue.”

Squair said, however, that funding for new construction can be harder to come by since it is “usually decided on a case by case basis and may be affected by concerns about the overall level of indebtedness of New York state since all funding for capital construction comes from borrowing.”