Discusses successes and failures of subsidized housing in urban areas and the relationship between architectural environment and quality of life, particularly as regards high-rise buildings. Given that some high-rise projects are successful, most should be maintained because of the scarcity of low-income housing. (DM)

Year-round education is an essential component of California public education. Through creative calendar planning, space utilization is being increased by 25 to 50 percent, depending on the selected configuration. Although growth remains the driving force, there is increasing acceptance of the learning, employment, and lifestyle benefits of…

Discusses the benefits of teaching architecture to gifted students and describes a unit implemented in elementary gifted classrooms. Student activities included researching architects' styles, creating model-building exteriors out of mixed media, creating floor plans, designing interiors, and brainstorming with resource people from fields related…

Presents results from a survey of engineering design graphics educators who responded to questions related to current trends and issues in the profession of graphics education. Concludes that there is a clear trend in institutions towards the teaching of constraint-based modeling and computer-aided manufacturing. (Author/YDS)

Discusses the importance of feasibility studies when renovating a university science facility. Outlines how to establish a team, set goals, and develop the program. Describes some of the key issues in the process, such as carefully analyzing the existing space, and offers some considerations regarding costs. (RJM)

Describes how educational facilities can be renovated to meet future changes. Examines the different ways that technology is used in teaching and what administrators should consider when planning infrastructure for communications technology. Discusses the importance of advisory committees and of collecting data regarding school staffs' levels of…

Describes Davis, Fuster Arquitectos' design of an arts school in Puerto Rico as a sequence of light-dappled loggias and sun-drenched courtyards. Includes drawings and photographs. (EV)

Describes Alabama's Brewbaker Technology Magnet High School, which was built for only $70 per square foot. Explores the relationship between its school-to-work, collaborative-learning approach and the building's design. (EV)

Describes the new San Pasqual Union School, designed to blend with its surrounding agricultural community in California; serving grades K-8, the 26-acre compound resembles a working farm, but buildings include 21st-century technology. Includes photographs, project data, and a sidebar on whiteboard technology products. (EV)

A review of more than 100 educational facilities designs revealed common themes: desire for small communities of learners even in large schools, facilities that reflect the community they serve, and larger, more flexible classroom spaces that serve a variety of subject areas. Also noted was an "everything old is new again" trend and attention to…

Design activities allow students to create their own solutions, drawing upon a personal understanding of science principles and examples. We created the 'Houses in the Desert' project to engage middle school students in designing a passive solar house that will keep its owners comfortable in the desert climate. Students used their knowledge of…

Some construction projects that colleges and universities have recently undertaken--residence halls, dining halls, student centers, athletic and recreation centers--have attracted significant criticism. Critics have taken issue with the proliferation and design of buildings intended to structure the use of students' free time and attract…

When designing schools, one should assign space for athletic fields, arrange halls so that traffic will not disturb classrooms, separate grade levels, provide playgrounds exclusively for younger children, and provide lighting and ventilation. Unit plans should be designed so that all educational and domestic activities can be executed in the…

This paper examines the relationship between various quantitative measures of urban centralization and urban housing prices through the use of a 2000 data set from the 452 Census designated urbanized areas in the United States. An empirical study of this type is necessary because: (1) the theoretical influence of creating more centralized urban…

This article focuses on how teachers worked to build a meaningful curriculum around changes to a neighborhood and school grounds in a precinct listed for urban renewal. Drawing on a long-term relationship with the principal and one teacher, the researchers planned and designed a collaborative project to involve children as active participants in…