Far from the limelight of LEED, Energy Star or Green Globes certifications are the energy codes developed and updated by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and the International Code Council (ICC) through the support of the Department of Energy (DOE) as minimum guidelines for building envelope,…

Accommodating change in existing buildings on a college campus or in a school district is challenging, but manageable. The key to successful adaptive reuse is thoughtful and thorough decision-making. Why consider recycling existing buildings? There are many reasons, including limited institutional resources, the increasing cost of new…

Describes how school districts in Ohio have dealt with old, architecturally significant school buildings when state rules mandated that it would be cheaper to rebuild. Many districts found ways to renovate the buildings or convert them to other uses. (EV)

Construction work is about to begin on a new "intelligent" primary school for 300 students (later to be expanded for 600) in the Municipality of Solaro in the province of Milan. This is the first primary school building in Italy designed according to the principles of the "intelligent school" as defined by the Centre for…

Describes how schools and universities are finding new uses for outmoded facilities, thereby saving on land and construction costs and in many cases preserving buildings that have achieved historical status in a community. Offers several examples. (EV)

Describes how a Michigan school district transformed several free-standing, "warm-weather" high school buildings into clustered areas connected by enclosed corridors. Space is now grouped by instructional area or the use of related equipment, and the building shell is tight and energy-efficient. (MLH)

The Samuel F. B. Morse School, built in 1874 and closed in 1980, is a historic landmark in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Now the building serves as low-income housing for 70 elderly tenants and is praised as being an imaginative and creative use of an old school structure. (MLF)

Describes the design of the DeKalb Alternative School in Atlanta, Georgia, located in a renovated shopping center. Purchasing commercial land and renovating the existing building saved the school system time and money. (EV)

Describes the reasons for selecting the vacated Derry Township Intermediate School building for the public library in Hershey, PA. (CHC)

In response to anticipated problems of declining enrollment, a pilot project in the city of St. Albert, Alberta, was the design and construction of a new school that could be converted to a senior citizen housing facility. (MLF)

Describes the design of Wildwood School, an urban prep school in Los Angeles that reclaimed a warehouse, including the educational context and design goals. Includes building plans and photographs. (EV)

Beginning on the front cover, this article recommends planning ahead and involving the community in surplus school use decisions. It suggests turning surplus schools into projects restoring historic buildings and benefitting neighborhoods. (JM)

That preservation and recycling of unused school buildings to other community uses is both economically and socially sound is illustrated by several examples. Information on federal grants for conversion of unused school buildings to community education and activities centers is included. (MF)

At the same time that schools are closing in many communities because of declining enrollments, the arts are expanding at the community level. The problem of surplus school space can be the solution to the needs of many artists and arts groups. Mutual to the arts groups and the communities are the benefits of flexible arrangements and the presence…