Portugal has a total of 477 public secondary schools. Some date from the end of the 19th century but the majority were built after 1970, reflecting the period of expansion in the school network and the extension of compulsory schooling. The schools are heterogeneous in terms of building types, architectural features and quality. An assessment of…

In 2007, the author examined existing academic libraries in the United States to determine best practices for the design, implementation and service of learning commons facilities. A primary objective of this study was to discover how to create a higher education learning environment that sustains scholarship, encourages collaboration and empowers…

Scotland's Building Excellence programme is exploring the implications of curriculum reform for school building design. It includes events which bring together teachers, designers, school managers and local authorities.

Since 1997, several ministries in Japan have collaborated on an eco-school programme, which applies to both newly constructed and renovated school buildings, in an effort to make its schools more environmentally friendly. The programme equips school buildings with ecological features such as photovoltaic cells, solar thermal collectors, other new…

Describes the planning and construction process of a new university library in Brussels designed to increase student autonomy and stimulate critical thinking and individual research. The library's infrastructure and resources are discussed as are the difficulties encountered during intensive use. (GR)

Explores issues surrounding the promotion by Quebec's government of public-private partnerships to rehabilitate public buildings, such as schools, including various types of costs and contracts. (EV)

Educational facilities became important public and specialised buildings since governments began to face the right of populations to education. Policies to provide educational buildings that respect modern notions of comfort and hygiene led architects to develop architectural concepts that corresponded to new demands on education. The need to…

Case studies demonstrating energy-efficient renovation of educational buildings collected by the International Energy Agency (IEA) provide information on retrofit technologies, energy-saving approaches and ventilation strategies. Some general findings are presented here along with one case study, Egebjerg School in Denmark, which shows how natural…

Laws that took effect in January 1986 transferred ownership of French upper secondary schools from central government to regional authorities. Describes the use of private, competitive contracts for public building projects in the renovation and maintenance work at one institution. (MLF)

State-of-the-art school buildings can improve educational standards and have a positive effect on everyone who uses them. That is why England's Department for Education and Skills (DfES) launched an ambitious five year strategy to improve educational facilities for all children in the country and create high quality resources for the whole…

The University of Salamanca in Spain has planned a new campus rooted in the local culture, geography, architecture and academic tradition. It will be built in the adjacent municipality of Villamayor, along the bank of the river Tormes. The master plan defines the basic features for what is one of the most important university development projects…

Discusses efforts by the Venezuelan government to improve the nation's school infrastructure through the Bolivarian Schools Project administered by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport. The project set educational principles which are guiding current school building efforts. (EV)

Laval University is launching a series of major development projects aimed at meeting the needs of an institution that currently offers over 350 academic programmes to more than 36,000 students. This article will focus on three of the most important construction projects that are already under way or about to start: the Wood Processing Centre,…

The City of Lisbon, Portugal, is working to better integrate children with disabilities at primary school level. It recently has undertaken an accessible school programme and has restored an historic building as part of this effort.

The restoration of an historic school building in Battipaglia, Italy, will provide new public facilities and is hoped to boost urban renewal. The municipality of Battipaglia, in the province of Salerno, held an architectural competition for renovating the E. De Amicis Primary School and the surrounding area. The winning project, submitted by a…