EXAMPLE 11.4 Compare Predicted Space with Actual Space

The Chemistry Department currently uses 50,075 ft² of space. On the other hand, the model predicts a space need of 45,959 ft². The difference between these two quantities is a residual:

According to the university space needs model, the Chemistry Department has about 4116 ft² more office space than it needs.

Because of this, the university director of space management is considering giving some of this excess space to a department that has actual space less than what the model predicts. Of course, the Chemistry Department does not think that it has excess space. In negotiations with the space management office, the department will explain that it needs all the current space and that its needs are not fully captured by the model.