From Existing to Proposed: Spatial Program Change in School-Facility Pre-Design in Korea

Although user-participatory pre-design has been mandated for school-facility projects in South Korea since the 2021 Green Smart Future School initiative, systematic evidence on how the space program changes between existing (S0) and proposed (S1) conditions remains limited. This study quantified the magnitude and functional composition of S0–S1 change and explored associations with project-level characteristics using a documentary corpus of pre-design reports. Of 118 scope-eligible reports, 111 supported total-area comparison, and 50 additionally supported functional-category analysis. Total-area analysis (N = 111) showed a mean net change rate of 13.41% but a median of 1.12%, indicating a strongly right-skewed distribution. Functional-category analysis (N = 50), using the Functional Reallocation Index (FRI, an application of a compositional-distance measure), showed collaborative learning space increasing by 126.96% and general learning space contracting by 18.20% in pooled functional-area totals; an independent recoding confirmed these directions, but the collaborative-learning magnitude was boundary-sensitive. Holm-adjusted nonparametric tests of school level, regional location, reconstruction inclusion, and comparison scope against net change area, net change rate, and FRI found no association surviving family-wise correction. These findings indicate that total-area growth and functional-composition reallocation are distinct dimensions of space-program change, with implications for project monitoring and stakeholder expectations.