Profiles are presented of several vocational-technical schools and colleges designed to provide large, flexible, well-equipped, comfortable, efficient, teaching and learning spaces. Each demonstrates a conscious effort to fulfill the following requirements--(1) a logical relationship between classroom instruction areas and shop or laboratory…

Following a general consideration of the functional aspects of planning facilities and the relationship between program and facilities, a detailed presentation is made of planning buildings for college and university indoor physical education activities. Recommendations are made with regard to design, structural and functional features of…

The compact school, generally defined as a brick structure with a flexible interior and natural light admission of skylights, domes, clearstories and interior courtyards, emerged from the new educational programs. Evaluation of the compact school design includes--(1) appraisals and reactions to the physical environment, (2) explanations of the…

The main trends are summarized of the current practices in the design and planning of modern primary schools. Several of the recent developments in design are--(1) the educational approach to design, (2) new plan forms, (3) new methods of plan analysis, (4) site analysis and design, and (5) new attitudes toward the design of communal spaces,…

Developed to provide students with actual hands-on experience in constructing energy-efficient homes and to increase the community's and students' knowledge of solar power as an alternate source of energy, a building trades program at a high school in Zion, Illinois has its students building single-family solar energy homes. (BM)

If the world of after-school programs is to be made more coherent, that process will occur mostly (and is being attempted mostly) at the city level. This brief document analyzes the tasks, questions, and challenges associated with what can be described as system-building in the after-school field, focusing on city level efforts. [This report was…

This digest examines the problem of upgrading rural school facilities, focusing on specific rural issues, conditions that interfere with teaching and learning, and new funding approaches. Almost half of U.S. public schools are in rural areas and small towns. Close rural school-community relationships may make it easier to make decisions,…

This publication describes Florida school and community college facilities completed in 1999, including photographs and floor plans. The facilities profiled are: Buchholz High School (Alachua County); Gator Run Elementary School (Broward); Corkscrew Elementary School (Collier); The 500 Role Models Academy of Excellence (Miami-Dade); Caribbean…

This document presents educational specifications for a new high school in Ridley school District in Pennsylvania. The specifications are offered by the school's administration and faculty. They address in detail the following areas: (1) exterior (including site and building exterior); (2) building interior; (3) classrooms; (4) department centers;…

A guide to the architect on available resources on planning and designing for educational technology. Although not a design manual, the data provides the architect with a foundation to base his search for facilities that will enhance the kinds of learning the new technology provides. (Author/HB)

AS&U interviews architect Edward Larrabee Barnes, who discusses two basic mistakes made by high schools and colleges in planning performing arts facilities. He explains that (1) they try to build flexibility into formal theaters and (2) they emphasize loads of seating, but leave little space for experimental work. (Author)

Beginning on the front cover, this article recommends planning ahead and involving the community in surplus school use decisions. It suggests turning surplus schools into projects restoring historic buildings and benefitting neighborhoods. (JM)

This study examining storage space, seating space, and building modification of 36 college library buildings constructed in 1967 and 1968 reveals that space for materials is a major concern. Repossession of space used for nonlibrary functions and conversion of seating areas are suggested as solutions. Three references are cited. (EJS)

A course is described that involves a comparative study of Philadelphia rowhouses. Students each visit a house and complete its architectural drawing according to established guidelines. The drawings are later reduced and offset printed for sale. A series of exercises focuses on a number of design elements. (MSE)

Instead of a traditional home management house, the Home Economics Department of Hood College, Frederick, Maryland, is planning to build a "Resource Management Facility" in which students can also study the use of a variety of energy sources, including solar energy, to conserve fuels. (MF)