The space analysis process, designed by facilities planners at the University of Toronto to address the gap between macro standards and the way they are used at the micro level, is described. Institutional space policies and guidelines, space inventory, and procedures for collecting space utilization data from users are discussed. (MLW)

A law enacted last year created a new National Science Foundation program to modernize research facilities, but the program is expected to receive little or no money. The lack of funds has intensified debate over colleges' efforts to win direct appropriations from Congress for their campuses. (MLW)

Six articles discuss library buildings and construction: (1) library buildings and their parts; (2) the North Campus Library of California State University at Long Beach in 1995; (3) new structures for teaching libraries; (4) construction standards for California public libraries; (5) Sick (Library) Building Syndrome; and (6) using focus-group…

Advice from a Kansas board of education president and an architect on how to balance the elements of good design and procedures with political realities when building new school facilities or renovating old ones. (MLF)

Reviews "Native American Architecture," by Nabokov and Easton, an encyclopedic work that examines technology, climate, social structure, economics, religion, and history in relation to house design and the "meaning" of space among tribes of nine regions. Describes this book's use in a college course on Native American architecture. (SV)

Sick building syndrome (SBS) is a situation in which at lease 15-20 percent of a building's occupants exhibit physical symptoms in a pattern that is linked to the building in which they work. Describes health effect, factors and causes of SBS, implications for risk management, and precautions school officials should take. (MLF)

This article describes the founding and development of the Sycamore School for Academically Gifted Children in Indianapolis. Covered are the school's origin in a parent group, establishing the school philosophy, hiring a staff, and finding a facility. The school's evolution in the areas of curriculum, facility expansion, budgeting, and staffing…

Reflecting new visions of learning, educators and architects are creating "three-dimensional textbooks" that use the learning environment as a teaching tool. In a planning process called architectural programing, the community and those who will occupy the building are consulted concerning developmental needs, aesthetic preferences, and…

Describes how renovation can transform a school to a state-of-the-art facility without having to work from the ground up. Examined are the planning and design phases, the outer structure upgrading, the installation of more efficient heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems, and renovation costs. (GR)

At the Metropolitan Regional Career and Technical Center in Providence, Rhode Island, a committee of educators and community members developed a new program and house plan that reinforces building relationships, doing group and individual projects, having individual space, and connecting to the world. Learning Through Internships activities are…

School systems in urbanized or built-up areas have difficulties locating suitable sites for new buildings. Examples of the use of space in alternative locations include the Parkway Program in Philadelphia; the Work Place School in Alberta, Canada; the Metropolitan Learning Alliance in Minnesota; and the Schoolhouse Boat in Vienna, Austria. (MLF)

Describes the use of a simple inexpensive model of a five-legged table in a physics course for industrial-design students to spark useful discussion about several aspects of statics. (WRM)

Full-service community schools combine three concepts--mind, body, and building--into an integrated approach placing quality education and comprehensive support services at one site. The DeWitt Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund is helping schools and communities replicate 4 such programs at 60 sites in 20 U.S. cities. (MLH)

Describes how integrated electronic control systems can provide multibuilding districts with cost savings and improved efficiency. Explores how such systems can quickly locate problem areas and save money. Describes how cooling, heating, lighting, and other components can be preprogrammed and offers some suggestions for selecting a system. (RJM)

Discusses the financial and operational difficulties inherent in community college facilities management. It explains why the primary source of plant operation cost and waste starts with satisfying the scheduling and changing educational needs of its students. Problems in planning and executing major maintenance activities are also addressed. (GR)