One can tell quite a lot about what goes on in a classroom or a school even if one visits after everyone has gone home. Just by looking at the walls--or, more precisely, what's on the walls--it's possible to get a feel for the educational priorities, the attitudes about children, even the assumptions about human nature of the people in charge. In…

What makes a successful informal learning space is a topic in need of further research. The body of discourse on informal space design is drawn from learning theory, placemaking, and architecture, with a need for understanding of the synergy between the three. Findings from a longitudinal, quantitative, and qualitative study at Sheffield Hallam…

As school administrators search for empirically-based ways to facilitate student learning, their efforts are confined and constrained by decreasing budgets. In short, doing more with less is their charge. This article describes a no-cost, evidenced-based best practice to raise student achievement and engagement in the elementary grades based on…

This article argues in favour of challenging "best practice" generally accepted by the architectural profession by embracing a responsive design approach for creating learning environments. Such an approach accepts that the environment shapes the learner, and that learners influence their environment. A responsive design approach would embrace the…

Purposeful assessment of space for the understanding and improvement of the academic library is a relatively new area of inquiry. This essay offers a framework to consider different factors affecting such an assessment and insights for undertaking a meaningful inquiry about the relationship of space to an academic library's evolving purpose as…

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…

Most school libraries have little funding for books, much less for redecorating. So what can a librarian do to give his or her library a makeover? This article presents a few cost-effective ways to renovate in just a few weeks. These tips include the use of colors, rearrangement of furnitures, signages, and more.

The opportunity to design a learning space does not come along often. Usually, it involves the construction of a new building or the complete remodel of an old one, and both of these require a lot of money. Smaller projects, such as renovation of a single room or a defined space, can be the best way to test ideas and establish a model for…

Des Moines is an urban community located in the heart of Iowa. Des Moines Public Schools serves 32,000 students in a system with 62 buildings, including Central Campus--a Regional Academy. Central Campus is housed in four buildings, including the main campus at 1800 Grand located on the western edge of downtown Des Moines. As a regional academy,…

The design and implementation of technology can prove a particularly daunting challenge for campus planners and project designers. Specialization is required for the selection and implementation of technologies including the familiar network, telecommunications, and data-processing functions, and also the more esoteric emerging technology labs and…

This article describes a number of important issues to consider in play therapy with Japanese children. They include the waiting room and playroom decor, toys, and other materials, as well as terminology that are commonly used in Japan. The layout of the small and large playrooms, use of the "Wa-Shitsu" (a traditional Japanese room…

Georgia Tech Library has undergone two learning space renovations in the past six years, with a third in 2009. This work is grounded in techniques that elicit user input. Library staff hope one day to completely renovate the entire 220,000-square-foot main library facility. Until that day arrives, library staff are making incremental improvements…

How can an IT department transform traditional computer labs given the resource limits of a university setting? Before engaging a redesign team, conduct some groundwork and initial research to help guide design and resource decisions. When the author and her colleagues considered modifying the lab spaces at Cornell, they initially engaged in…

Higher education's expenditures for furniture and furnishings will be up, despite a slowdown in new college construction. (Editor)

Offers advice on building and equipping a college athletic training room that can serve in preventing and treating athletic injuries. Issues concerning space utilization, protecting confidentiality, and making accommodations for amenities such as hydrotherapy pools are addressed. (GR)