Academic Building Systems (ABS) is an architectural planning and design method which allows the construction owner to respond to the need for less expensive structures, economically adaptable to the changing conditions of the academic world, by providing the owner with the maximum controls over the variable cost factors in educational facility construction. In the ABS open system, more than one manufacturer can supply each of the components of the building system. This is felt to offer the best potential for reducing construction, maintenance, and remodeling costs and for improving the usefulness of academic facilities. The systems approach provides a high degree of coordination of the building components. It takes into consideration standard and repetitive features, life costs of complex buildings, adaptability of station utilization, tradeoffs of higher first costs versus lower life costs, and shorter construction time. The major innovation in the fixed elements is the space module, which is a repetitive unit used throughout the structure and which reduces construction costs by making possible the use of standard units of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning to service each module. (LBH)