How Rooms Are Numbered at VCU - (currently being phased in)

For buildings located within VCU's inventory, each room number is constructed using the "hotel system". That is, a floor number ascending or descending from ground level is followed by a number for the room on that floor (example: 100 - 1st floor, 200 - 2nd floor, 300 - 3rd floor, 001 - Basement, etc..). 

To help orient visitors as well as occupants, on the ground floor numbers for the rooms on that floor start near the principal point of access to the building and increase away from that point, and this pattern is stacked on the floors above and below. In addition, room numbers are placed on the floors using the "post office system". That is, even numbers are located on one side of the corridor and odd numbers on the opposite side. Gaps are often introduced into number sequences to allow additional numbers to be inserted in the event of future renovation.

At a finer level of patterning, rooms reached via other rooms are recognized using the "suite system". That is, rooms off the first-accessed room carry the number of the first-accessed room followed by a letter of the alphabet (example: 101A, 101B, 200A, etc..).

In a final detail, room numbers for rooms that have certain non-assignable room uses involving building service, circulation and mechanical areas carry specific suffixes, but these are rarely of interest to the average building user.  Corridors are numbered with a C# (floor number + C + number), Stairs are numbered with S# (floor number + S + number), Elevators are numbered with E# (floor number + E + number) and all mechanical, janitor closets, telecommunication closets, etc. must get a number.

Room Use Definitions at VCU

The definitions of room use followed at VCU are based upon those published in the April 1994 edition of the U. S. Department of Education's "Postsecondary Education Facilities Inventory and Classification Manual" (FICM) adapted and with additions to meet the circumstances of VCU's facilities and practice. They support the process of indirect cost recovery as well as processes of general administration and provision of community information.