Reports that giving building and design professionals a financial incentive to create high-efficiency schools has proven to be a winning strategy for both the firms that design and build schools and the students who learn in them. Discusses a group of educators who had heard about the effects of natural lighting and ventilation on student and…

Describes the restoration to original form of a modern, semicircular dormitory lounge at Vassar College, which was designed by Eero Saarinen in the 1950s. (EV)

Discusses the importance of the facility master plan (FMP) in defining project scope and validating or challenging the work of consultants. Offers three case studies illustrating how facility master plans averted problems or led to unanticipated benefits for the colleges involved. (EV)

Describes a high school designed to make students act and feel like professionals as they study in the context of a retail store, conference center, courtroom, architecture studio, and medical offices. Students from this high-poverty district may attend the academy full- or part-time. The school strives to steer students in to the most promising…

Discusses how to create a good acoustical environment for college libraries, focusing on requirements related to the HVAC system and lighting, and noting the importance of good maintenance. A sidebar looks at how to design and achieve the most appropriate HVAC and lighting systems for optimum library acoustics. (SM)

Explains that classrooms and school furniture were built for a different era and often do not have sufficient power for technology, discussing what is needed to support modern technology in education. One solution involves modular cabling and furniture that is capable of being rearranged. Currently, there are no comprehensive standards from which…

Presents educational exhibition space/galleries considered outstanding in a competition, which judged the most outstanding learning environments at educational institutions nationwide. Jurors spent two days reviewing projects, highlighting concepts and ideas that made them exceptional. For each citation, the article offers information on the firm,…

Describes the award-winning designs of several elementary schools, including the educational context and design goals. Includes information on the designers and construction costs. Also includes the floor plan and photographs. (EV)

An annual survey of school maintenance and operations (M & O) funding concludes, among other detailed findings, that budgets continue to shrink in the face of a weak economy--the sixth year of dropping budgets and the smallest level since the survey began. (EV)

Offers design guidance for school restrooms, emphasizing the importance of keeping them sanitary and functional. Addresses the issues of building codes and American with Disabilities compliance. (EV)

Describes how techniques such as occupant control, careful sizing of the HVAC equipment, and using a direct digital control (DDC) system have helped the James L. and Evelena S. Oakes Hall at Vermont Law School to be environmentally friendly and save energy. (EV)

Discusses four steps to take before starting a major design and construction expansion program: (1) prepare a space program; (2) prepare a detailed conceptual estimate; (3) rank projects in order of importance; and (4) organize the institution to act effectively. (EV)

Describes the award-winning designs of 35 elementary schools. Includes construction details and photographs. (EV)

Describes the award-winning designs of 21 middle schools. Includes construction details and photographs. (EV)

Describes the award-winning designs of 30 high schools. Includes construction details and photographs. (EV)