Amid increasing global and national interest in the built educational environment, this editorial considers developments within the Nordic countries that are investigated and discussed within the articles in this special issue. We discuss commonalities and divergences in the experiences of transition and change in the schools, located in a range…

Today, the threat that has caught the attention of many Americans is Mother Nature herself. 2010 and 2011 may go down as two of the most destructive years in the recent history: The Haiti earthquake; the Icelandic volcanoes; the Japan earthquake and tsunami; flooding along the Missouri and Mississippi rivers; wildfires raging in Texas. And, a…

This publication, part of the new Building and Infrastructure Protection Series (BIPS) published by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) Infrastructure Protection and Disaster Management Division (IDD), serves to advance high performance and integrated design for buildings and infrastructure. This…

There has been a tremendous increase in use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in the design and construction industry. There have been numerous case studies that have documented the improvements. The majority of these improvements have focused on better coordination of design resulting in fewer Requests for Information and/or change orders.…

After a 35-year building hiatus, the nine colleges in the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) needed a major facelift. Facilities on LACCD campuses were antiquated and had fallen into disrepair. For years, students voiced dismay, saying their campuses resembled high schools rather than colleges. Inadequate infrastructure drove many…

When one thinks of 21st century schools, one thinks of geometric modern architecture, sustainable building materials, and high-tech modular classrooms. It's rare, though, that a district has the space or the money to build that school from the ground up. Instead, the challenge for most is the transformation of the 20th century architecture to…

When the subject of buildings and daylighting arises, most people's thoughts will turn first to windows. To the uninitiated, it seems a simple formula: more windows, more daylight; fewer windows, less daylight. But designers know that effective use of daylighting in a building design involves more than just letting in light to otherwise darkened…

Five years after hurricane Katrina, the City of New Orleans is now implementing a far-reaching plan for the systemic renovation and rebuilding of community programmes and infrastructure. A total of USD 3 billion has now been allocated to public building projects. With the student population down to nearly half of pre-storm totals, a recently…

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.

Public education is one of the central tasks of a democratic society, and the buildings that house this important task not only shape the way one teaches, but provide icons and symbols for the values people hold common as a society. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this context has placed school buildings squarely in a position of debate and innovation…

Examines the Virginia Tech (Blacksburg) building boom that has made up for the shortcomings in outdated facilities while preserving the best of existing building traditions. Details of several building designs are provided, including information on the architectural firms involved. (GR)

Describes the renovation and expansion of Palmer Hall, New Jersey-based Princeton University's original physics laboratory, to house the Frist Campus Center. Includes before and after photographs. (EV)

THIS NEWSLETTER DESCRIBES THE COMPETITION HELD FOR THE MODERNIZATION OF A FOUR STORY URBAN HIGH SCHOOL. THE PROBLEM WAS TO CREATE NEW AREAS AND SPACES WITHIN THE EXISTING EXTERIOR WALLS. THE WINNING SOLUTION UTILIZED THE CONCEPTS OF A CENTRALIZED RESOURCE AND INDEPENDENT STUDY CENTER AND A HIERARCHY OF GROUP INSTRUCTIONAL SPACES. INCLUDED ARE…

Describes the design of the Charles V. Park Library at Central Michigan University and the Martha Rivers and E. Bronson Ingram Library, an addition to the Frederick Ferris Thompson Memorial Library at Vassar College. Discusses the libraries as examples of merging tradition with technology. Includes photographs. (EV)

Offers tips on energy efficiency and building design that can help schools reduce operating costs, improve academic performance, address health and safety issues, and protect the environment. (EV)