Provides examples on ways to make locker room maintenance easier and their use more student-friendly. Improvements include use of indoor-outdoor carpeting with numerous floor drains to cut mildew buildup, adequate ventilation to reduce musty smells, better hot water management, ceramic tiles to reduce water-damage repair and painting needs, and…

Presents advice for avoiding problems when renovating wetrooms to include either bathrooms or laundry rooms. Tips include timely use of inspectors and incorporating delivery penalties into contracts. (GR)

Highlights the questions to ask when designing or retrofitting the lighting needs for a multipurpose campus facility. Issues addressed include the tasks the facility is expected to accommodate, the benefits of available lighting sources, the facility's layout and dimensions, aesthetics and functionality, and budgetary considerations. (GR)

Presents survey results on how furniture and interior design can affect a school district staff's productivity. Productivity experts highlight five key factors for creating and maintaining productive and efficient offices. (GR)

Provides examples of ways to entice more students to live on campus through better residence hall design. Amenities that include landscaping, private baths, lounge areas, and fitness facilities are suggested as are designing apartments that have a more homelike quality to them and providing affordable and attractive off-campus housing. (GR)

Discusses how to design athletic and recreation buildings that satisfy diverse student needs and enhances the facility's repeated use. Five building designs and basic floorplans are examined. (GR)

Discusses how one high school transformed its restrooms into cleaner and more vandal-resistant environments by automating them. Solutions discussed include installing perforated stainless steel panel ceilings, using epoxy-based paint for walls, selecting china commode fixtures instead of stainless steel, installing electronic faucets and sensors,…

Presents three college residence-hall projects that reveal the diversity in planning and design ideas available for successfully meeting student needs. Discusses use of unique interior designs and locations, multi-service features, and the use of prefabricated materials to cut building costs are discussed. (GR)

Provides tips on easy ways to design school restrooms with minimal cost; these design elements will pay for themselves and make a big difference in restroom cleanliness. Also included are ideas for making custodial closets more efficient and cost effective. (GR)

Describes how university interior design is responding to increased student demands for wide-ranging services, technological capabilities, and accessibility. Design concepts for dining areas, auditoriums, residential halls, libraries, and computer-friendly classrooms are discussed. (GR)

Presents the 1998 winners of Impact on Learning Awards, recognition given to K-12 public schools that have solved real-world problems with design, engineering, and technology solutions. Categories represented include auditoriums, cafeterias, classrooms, commons areas, early-childhood learning centers, libraries, lobbies, and science and computer…

Offers 10 tips for renovating or building school washrooms that enhance user satisfaction while making them easier to maintain. Tips cover all aspects of school washroom design and highlights the following elements of effective washroom design development: user input; ease of maintenance; accessibility; and functionality. (GR)

Investigates conditions relating to the maximum useful-to-detrimental sound ratios present in classrooms and determining the optimum conditions for speech intelligibility. Reveals that speech intelligibility is more strongly influenced by ambient noise levels and that the optimal location for sound absorbing material is on a classroom's upper…

Provides guidelines that school administrators can use to increase student participation in cafeteria lunches. Redesigned features, employee appearances, and use of decorations are discussed, as are using prepared foods and disposable utensils to cut labor time, and marketing the cafeteria to parents to raise their perceptions. (GR)

Discusses four factors in designing a school music room that satisfies student, teacher, and school needs. Explores acoustics in terms of cubic volume, room shape, sound isolation, acoustical treatment, and mechanical systems. Also examines the floorplan for space, traffic control, and access to related areas. Concluding comments address equipment…