Explains the use of a maintenance-management assessment process that educational facility managers can use to improve facility conditions and to provide evidence for future capital investments in maintenance management. Discusses questions a maintenance-management audit can answer and describes how to analyze the data to gain maximum understanding…

Describes one Canadian school district's use of an integrated Facilities Management Information System (FMIS) to help address the effective and efficient planning, building, operating, and maintaining of their schools and other Board facilities. Development of the FMIS and its demands for organizational restructuring and change in the workplace…

Describes the architectural process and discusses ways of establishing good communication between architects and librarians so they can work together effectively. Highlights include the schematic design phase, the design development phase; the construction document stage, and the architect working with the contractors. (LRW)

Discusses how one college resolved the problems of building a high-tech, modern-design college science center on a visible location within a traditional-looking campus. Design features that helped the facility blend into its traditional surroundings are highlighted. (GR)

Describes the construction of a new library facility at Delta College. States that Delta College Library incorporated planning for a new facility with input from all college disciplines. Site visits were made to other new college library facilities, which aided in the design of Delta College's own library construction project. (VWC)

Today, many art and music teachers struggle to teach and inspire their students in inappropriate or outdated facilities. Many must settle for "art on a cart." New or modernized facilities can make a vital difference in building enthusiasm and appreciation for the arts in young children. Spacious, flexible music and art rooms of schools in Florida…

Details the dramatic changes in school lighting. Describes how lighting will be more closely integrated into the "smart" school building of tomorrow and how lighting systems will evolve with schools as technology changes. Claims that direct/indirect lighting systems will serve computer users as well as reduce energy and maintenance costs. (RJM)

Describes the challenge that Illinois faces in trying to bring its older schools up to date. Discusses the debate over replacement versus renovation, enrollment and projected rises in this rate, the need to accommodate advanced technology programs, and the billions of dollars it will take to render these structures suitable for instruction. (RJM)

Discusses the idea of team cleaning educational facilities as a new concept in maintaining floors and carpets, as well as maintaining the entire building. This team effort can streamline and improve custodial operations. Each worker becomes a specialist with two or three functions instead of multiple cleaning tasks. (RE)

Argues that architectural models allow students to express their ideas on a range of topics from dream homes and interior decorating to historical periods and places. Provides a general outline of the process of creating architectural models, from decorating shoeboxes to creating sophisticated models. (DSK)

Examines the attributions college students (N=301) make toward pictures of college campus buildings. Results reveal that students attributed greater likelihood of individual success to pictures depicting modern architecture than they did to those depicting traditional architecture. (Contains 28 references and 3 tables.) (Author/GCP)

Part 1 of this article, the first in a three-part series of articles that discuss indoor air quality (IAQ) issues affecting schools, provides a general overview of IAQ and discusses the three major health problems associated with IAQ: sick building syndrome, building-related illness, and multiple chemical sensitivity. (MLF)

A North Carolina middle school demonstrates that high performance, sustainable school buildings cost no more to build and are more comfortable and productive learning environments than conventional buildings. (Author)

Describes how barracks renovations at West Point have included the replacement of privacy partitions and screens in restrooms and locker rooms with items of high-density polyethylene (HDPE), which is more durable than metal. (EV)

Discusses security and safety issues for public libraries, especially high-profile central facilities, in light of the September 11 terrorist attacks. Highlights include inspecting bags as patrons enter as well as exit; the need for security guidelines for any type of disaster or emergency; building design; and the importance of communication.…