Daylighting a space is both an art and a science. The impact of daylight can make a building's design come to life. Daylighting can be carried out skillfully, or it can be too casually considered or totally misunderstood. Bad daylighting is devastating to a space and costly to fix. Today, in this era of sustainable design, daylighting is given…

At Santa Clara University (SCU), Vice Provost for Information Services and CIO Ron Danielson led the design and construction of the campus's 194,251-square-foot Harrington Learning Commons, Sobrato Technology Center, and Orradre Library, a single building opened in March 2008. Danielson and his team were responsible for describing design goals,…

These guidelines offer information on space planning and design for school principals, boards of management and designers to make permanent learning facilities available for pupils with special educational needs across the 26 counties of Ireland. The guidelines reflect many of the recent changes in the country's educational system, changes that…

As care providers of young children, the early childhood profession is poised to be on the forefront of the green revolution. Sustainability, by definition, is the art and science of leaving for future generations, opportunities equal or better than those left us. There is no better place to employ this philosophy of sustainability than in child…

The focus on the quality of a student's entire academic experience has led to a greater emphasis on student life activities and facilities. In response, many campuses are renovating, expanding, or creating new buildings that support student life. While many of these are traditional stand-alone student dormitories, dining facilities, unions, and…

Since Herb Broda published Schoolyard-Enhanced Learning, his groundbreaking first book on outdoor learning, many schools across North America have embraced the benefits of "greening" their learning programs. Herb has visited dozens of these schools and nature centers, and he showcases the very best examples of schoolyard-enhanced…

A new pedagogy is emerging, placing students at the centre of the learning process and encouraging teachers to draw from a larger repertoire of strategies and skills to lead interdisciplinary and project-based work. The best learning is authentic--engaging students in their own learning in practical and real-life contexts that demonstrate the…

Green design, green construction and green operations for new buildings are rapidly becoming the norm for school districts throughout the country. Today, increased availability of green products and technology coupled with cost savings that are realized through an integrated design process mean that schools like Arabia Mountain High School can be…

Responsibility for support of technology in teaching and learning at the University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL) falls within the Information Technology Services (ITS) unit. Notwithstanding funding challenges, the university has been systematically renovating classrooms to meet the demands of increasing campus use of technology in teaching.…

Colleges and universities have widely responded to the expectation that they should work toward, operate under, and live by principles of sustainability. Eighty-nine of the 260-plus institutions of higher learning in New England (34 percent) have signed the "American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment" to guide their…

Sustainable design projects offer academic communities the opportunity to make the design and operations of their campuses part of the larger lessons of social and environmental responsibility that are integral parts of higher education. In no place is that demonstrated more clearly than in New England, with its long commitment to environmental…

Some institutions may feel comfortable with a few baby steps into the green world, while others may be ready to commit totally to environmental consciousness. Here, the author discusses 10 areas in which educators and administrators can beef up their green portfolio. These areas are in: alternative fuel, bikes/walking, water, education tools,…

Early childhood environments that are engaging and responsive to the needs of children and professionals take into account the incredible diversity that is in each classroom. Not only is the classroom comprised of a variety of individuals with unique ways of viewing and interacting with the world, but all individuals bring with them their own…

Today's primary schools are being designed in a totally different way from those of only a few years ago. In Australia, both the Victorian Government and the Catholic education authorities have changed their notion of schooling. The most significant change has been the linking of curriculum, pedagogy and the types of spaces in which children…

In the past decade, an increasing number of Danish public, private and independent schools have introduced regular compulsory education outside the classroom for children aged 7-16 as a weekly or biweekly "outdoor school" day--known in Danish as "udeskole." An analysis of this form of outdoor education, its impacts and…