A school building project in Spokane, Washington, will replace 12 inner-city elementary schools, expand a thirteenth, and construct a new high school. Substantial cost savings in both materials and design are expected to result from adapting a prototype design to existing sites. (Author/MLF)

Forestry, horticulture, conservation, craftsmanship, hard work, and civic responsibility are the lessons for Lunenburg (Massachusetts) High School students. Project Greenthumb has allowed for more occupational training at the school as well as for more effective programs for students who were not succeeding in the standard high school program. (CT)

Financing school capital projects in New York State is a responsibility involving both local school districts and the state government. State building aid is provided through an aid ratio and approved expenditure formula. This formula has an equalizing effect among districts by explicitly providing an aid amount inversely proportional to property…

Describes the stages of capital project planning and development: (1) individual capital project submission; (2) capital project proposal assessment; (3) executive committee; and (4) capital project execution. (EV)

Describes how, with thorough planning, focus, teamwork, and discipline, school systems in Houston and San Diego have proven that they can manage massive and complicated construction programs without becoming mired in financial and bureaucratic difficulties. (EV)

As the drafting instructor at Tri-County Career Center (TCCC) in Nelsonville, Ohio, the author is proud and pleased to give students real-life drafting experiences that apply learned theory. One of the best experiences his students have had involves taking part in building a custom home. Another is producing authentic house plans. The author also…

In a continuous effort to teach real-world concepts and skills, community outreach projects can be one of the main avenues of student success in the field of technology. Employers are interested in students who have real-world exposure as well as a depth and breadth of academic experiences. This article provides the technology education teacher…

In October 1992, Maryland Governor William Donald Schaefer established a 21-member task force to conduct an in-depth study and review 8 specific areas of the state's public school construction program. This report summarizes the committee's activities, findings, and recommendations. The first recommendation, to review project requests from the 24…

Describes the Danville Public Library's (Illinois) planning and implementation of a groundbreaking ceremony and provides guidelines for the process. Highlights include early planning, the planning staff, publicity, videotaping, selecting a convenient time, decorations, invitations, knowing individual responsibilities, commemorative items, and a…

The US Navy is encountering fierce resistance at home over its plans to develop a laboratory in Honolulu at the University of Hawaii-Manoa. Proponents of the proposed facility assert it will bring millions of dollars to the campus, but critics question whether universities should engage in classified research and weapons development, and fear that…

This report summarizes public library construction activities supported by Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA), Title II, funds as of fiscal 1985. Following a brief legislative background and overview, the use of federal funds in support of public library construction is reviewed, and the impact of LSCA funding during fiscal 1983-85 is…

Describes an intelligent Web-based construction project management system called VHBuild.com which integrates project management, knowledge management, and artificial intelligence technologies. Highlights include an information flow model; time-cost optimization based on genetic algorithms; rule-based drawing interpretation; and a case-based…

Describes the design and construction of a new National Archives facility at College Park, Maryland. Dubbed "Archives II" and identified as the largest archives facility in the world, the building features a five-level research room center, conservation and special media laboratories, and a day care center. Contains 11 photographs of the…

Many state legislatures are authorizing the largest bond issues for campus facilities in years, in part for deferred maintenance and repairs. The robust national economy appears to be the main force driving the spending trend. Ironically, some of the states best positioned to give colleges large construction windfalls are those limited…

Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts and its architects devised a way to plan for growth and to coordinate development over 10 years of four buildings with a diversity of uses; time completion with planned population growth; save land, energy administrative time, and fund-raising efforts; and provide added educational benefits. (MLW)