Laurie and Jeff Schutz can't imagine how they ever survived. It was not that long ago that the Schutz family of five was living in an 1,100 square foot, two bedroom house. Under normal circumstances, this would have been cramped for any family. The Schutzes, however, have a son with cerebral palsy. Laurie Schutz had about as normal a first-time…

By providing a $20,000 tax credit for Universal Design (UD) housing, when new housing construction begins anew, the United States has a real opportunity to save hundreds of billions of dollars in long-term healthcare while encouraging long-term economic growth. Universal Design (also known as Inclusive Design or "Aging in Place" when referring to…

Nakheel, a Dubai World Company has created the world's largest themed mall based on the narrative of Ibn Battuta, a 14th century Muslim explorer whose world travels are well documented. The Ibn Battuta Mall is located in the city of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and utilizes a communication strategy called edutainment: a neologistic…

Project selection is an essential matter of design teaching. Based on observations of a specific curriculum, the author claims that a wide repertoire of subjects including offices, restaurants, hotels, and other public places are used to prepare design students, but that schools and other "learning environments/ schools" are similarly…

Economical design and smooth functioning of libraries require detailed preplanning before the architect begins to draw. This preplanning and coordination can be facilitated by an interior designer deft in communication skills and willing to become acquainted with library functions. Flow charts, spatial analysis, and layouts are useful tools to…

The State University Construction Fund, utilizing the nation's top professional talents, must design by contract, within fixed budgets and strict time schedules, quality architecture for 32 campuses in New York State. (Author)

An interior with trees, plants, and a "street" generates excitement at the Children's Learning Center in Brooklyn, New York. (MLF)

Intended to aid in the building or purchase of a home suitable for use by a handicapped individual in a wheelchair, the booklet provides detailed design guidelines. Included is information on the decision process, finances, ramps, a car shelter, doors communication devices, electrical needs, windows, elevators and chair lifts, the kitchen, an…

Although the new Lehman Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art was a controversial project based on a questionable premise, the finished building is an architectural tour de force. Despite restrictions imposed by the Landmarks Commission and the donor, the architects responded with consummate ingenuity, artistry, and skill. (JG)

Describes a 1,500-student open plan middle school. (JF)

This annual report on library facilities and furnishings includes articles on: (1) designing libraries that are both handsome and functional; (2) functional use of color and light in library interior design; (3) creating user-friendly libraries; and (4) the seven deadly sins of architects. An eight-page section of photographs is included. (MES)

This article argues that interior/architectural design education favours a dominance of final presentation over the design process in the studio environment, particularly in the evaluation of a project. It suggests that the appeal of design juries for pleasant drawings, which may shift the emphasis from the project itself to its representation,…

The design of the student center at Essex Community College in Baltimore County, Maryland, reflects youthful lifestyles in the interior decor while providing exterior design to harmonize with existing campus buildings. (Author/MF)