There is a considerable amount of research documenting the effects of noise on children. The effects are largely negative. Chronic exposure to noise has been shown to be harmful to children of various ages. It can have especially detrimental effects on younger children when language and discrimination skills are forming. Sometimes major noise…

Perceptive site observations give this University a new library under the centerline of its traditional mall without sacrificing the walk or the trees. (Author)

Author, the director of Religious Education, Diocese of Guildford, England, discusses radical changes in architectural design for Church of England schools. (DR)

Discusses the construction of a high density, mobile shelving storage facility addition to the General Library at the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana campus. Building criteria, space considerations, and the utilization of mobile storage technology are noted. Illustrative material is provided. (EJS)

Describes how a Florida district accommodated an influx of students by using portable, self-contained classrooms built around a permanent core of offices: a modular campus. Discusses the search for classroom space, how to integrate the modular pieces into the setting, and outlines the savings and benefits of this process. (RJM)

School facilities can be restructured for changing educational programs at minimal cost. (DW)

The development of new instructional organizations has placed demands on school facilities that cannot be met adequately with the procedures currently used for school design. Organizational methods, for example, that stress small-group and individual work in non-age-graded settings are not accommodated easily by either of the two common forms of…

Public buildings and the settings in which people work and live significantly influence acceptance of social inequalities, social roles, and definitions of individual competence, merit, and power. Spaces do not convey meanings as if they were simple codes, but rather objectify whatever shared meanings a group of people need to reinforce in one…

Presents detailed look at University of Michigan Law, Folger Shakespeare, Vail Public, San Francisco University High School, and New York University Graduate School of Business Libraries, winners of 11th Library Buildings Award Program which included two renovations, two additions, and one new facility. Other notable library design projects are…

Architects of a newly-opened elementary school in Bellevue, Washington, conducted a followup study of teacher and pupil attitudes. The candid comments can be used as helpful do's and don'ts in future design projects. (WN)

Whiz Bang Quick City 2 went up in two days, thrived for seven more, and ecologically speaking, disappeared without a trace. The temporary, experimental community dealt with problems of community life support systems and the role that the physical design of the community plays in regard to meeting social needs of the residents for privacy and…

The Physical and Architectural Features Checklist (PAF) measures physical resources of sheltered care settings in terms of nine derived dimensions. Data show that facilities which have more physical resources are seen as attractive by outside observers and pleasant by residents. Cost is not related to any PAF dimension. (Author)

When given the chance, children seek out and create private places in the midst of busy days. This article advises centers to design protected places where small groups or a single child can retreat to observe other children, either from above or horizontally. Suggestions for such "child caves" involve architecture, furniture arrangement, and…

Discusses how a facilities study will allow school districts to meet current demands, as well as plan for future needs. Describes strategies for evaluating how educational programs fit into a building's existing space and offers tips for inventorying the facilities themselves. Lists items to include in a facilities study. (RJM)

There are three building-design factors vital to young children: protection, interaction, and scale. School and classroom scale (fixtures, cabinets, doorknobs, furniture) should be suited to young children. Sample designs from Scarsdale, New York, and Kansas City, Missouri, are presented. (MLH)