This paper, a summary of a document created for a Master of Arts degree in Interior Design at Northern Illinois University, Dekalb, Illinois, discusses research on "wayfinding" and the need for designers and planners to recognize its importance in order to provide more user-friendly environments. Orientation is the first step in…

This book presents a series of projects for children of all levels of expertise, beginning with abstract patterns, rows, and towers and progressing to step-by-step instructions for 18 projects, including a bridge, boat dock, airport, shopping mall, skyscraper, castle, Greek temple, Toy Store City, City of the Future, and The Emerald City of Oz.…

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas in ambient air that is estimated to cause thousands of deaths from lung cancer each year. This report outlines ways in which to ameliorate the presence of radon in schools buildings. The first section is a general introduction for those who need background information on the indoor radon problem and…

This brief suggests that the condition of the nation's schools continues to be a problem because they are becoming increasingly obsolete and contain environmental hazards. This report provides data on the increase in school construction between 1950 and 1969 (corresponding to the Baby Boom generation); the percent of schools in oldest, moderate,…

Schools today are hosting the solar energy systems that will become commonplace tomorrow in public buildings, homes, and businesses. This publication serves as a guide to how schools are using solar energy, listing scores of schools currently using the sun for lighting, heating, and cooling as well as highlights of innovative programs to expand…

Energy conservation high on the client's priority list led to a solar collector roof for the new science building at the Madeira School, located in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. (Author/MLF)

By placing the entrance to the site near existing trees on the property, landscaping costs were reduced. (Available from 1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020, $15.00 annually.) (Author/MLF)

One of the spaces in the renovated Carnegie Library in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, is used for a theater with rented seating, stage, production, and costumes returned when no longer needed. (Author/MLF)

To preserve open space on an extremely limited site, an athletic center at Columbia University was built "underground" and its roof landscaped with shade trees, evergreens, and shrubs. (Author/MLF)

Presents a summary report and a checklist on making buildings more accessible to the handicapped. (Author)

In an effort to better fulfill its public service mission, the University of California, San Francisco, has undertaken an intensive assessment and strategic planning process to build institutional capacity for civic engagement and community partnership. The first stage was a qualitative assessment focused primarily on three local communities,…

These space planning guidelines are intended to be used as aids in determining space needs for the allocation and reallocation of existing space and new space. Directed to identifying types and amounts of nonresidential facilities required by departments on a campus, the manual is organized by 12 room-use categories that include classroom,…

This study determined, by means of a random sample, how many of Colorado's public schools have asbestos materials and estimated the potential risk of exposure presented by these materials. Forty-one schools were surveyed. Bulk samples of possible asbestos materials were collected and analyzed using the K-squared Asbestos Screening Test to…

Thirty-one critical questions about asbestos, its use in school buildings, and the risks it poses to health are answered in this booklet. Issued by the Safe Buildings Alliance, an incorporated association of manufacturers that once supplied asbestos-containing materials for building construction, the booklet's purpose is to provide information…

Author argued that in our efforts to understand the environment we should not neglect the technology which makes building possible. He noted that construction methods can give us information about culture and history. He proposed an intriguing way of teaching structural principles via symbols. (Editor/RK)