Examines Southwest Missouri State University's student union building that was designed and renovated to be inviting, accessible, and easier to identify. Before and after photos are included. (GR)

Discusses transforming outmoded educational facilities to meet the new and diverse educational needs of students. Examines how to assess an old facility's potential for new uses and discusses creation of added-value benefits to an older building through careful renovation and study of its cost benefits. (GR)

In many areas of the country, career and technical education programs are connecting learning with the resources, culture, history and people of the places where they are based. They are also forging a special connection between education and the needs of the community. Two such programs are discussed in this article. In the first example,…

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 Faculty of Architecture of Delft University of Technology considers valid and reliable assessment of designing an important issue. A project called Bottom-up was started to address this issue, using the experiences and practice of design teachers as a starting point. The goals of this project were to enlarge inter-subjective reliability and to…

This paper will discuss our approach to, success with and future direction in rapid prototyping for architectural modeling. The premise that this emerging technology has broad and exciting applications in the building design and construction industry will be supported by visual and physical evidence. This evidence will be presented in the form of…

The Scottish Executive, the devolved government for Scotland, is engaging with stakeholders to achieve excellence in the school estate through Post Occupancy Evaluation (POE). Design of the school environment has a direct impact on teaching and learning, activities which can be supported or frustrated by many building elements. Through a…

Current building projects on college and university campuses tend to be planned and funded according to commercial needs and opportunities. Often planning is done without faculty knowledge or advice. The result can be a distraction of the institution's mission from its core values of service and community. Campus planners can avoid this…

Case studies demonstrating energy-efficient renovation of educational buildings collected by the International Energy Agency (IEA) provide information on retrofit technologies, energy-saving approaches and ventilation strategies. Some general findings are presented here along with one case study, Egebjerg School in Denmark, which shows how natural…

The Austrian Institute for School and Sport Facilities (OISS), responsible for providing the country with guidelines, information and consultation in the field of school building, places special emphasis on school grounds. The OISS works to raise awareness of the importance of school grounds not only for physical activities and recreation, but…

The future Kelvin Grove Urban Village in Queensland, Australia, is an example of how principles of environmentally sustainable design have translated into practice. Those responsible for the new project recognise the importance of building design that respects the environment by using resources efficiently and minimising pollution. The site's…

In order to sustain strong academic programs and to provide a safe and comfortable environment for learning in the state's public colleges and universities, the facilities that house the institutions' programs must be maintained and replenished. The size, condition, and adequacy of these facilities have an impact on the quantity and quality of the…

The Institute for Scholarship on Engineering Education (ISEE) team of the Center for the Advancement of Engineering Education, designed and implemented a 120 minute interactive session called "Communities In Practice--What Are We Learning?" for the 2006 Frontiers in Education Conference in Indianapolis. Six story posters were provided by 8…

In architectural design education, students develop drawing, conceptual, and critical skills which are informed by their ability to reflect upon the production of ideas in design processes and in the urban, environmental, social, historical, and cultural context that define architecture and the built environment. Reflective actions and thinking…

Urban universities present an inherent conflict for administrators who oversee campus planning and development. Some see the need to withdraw and create an academic refuge. Others believe a campus must integrate physically with the city in order to stay relevant. The two approaches cannot be more dramatically different, and they have profound…