Recognizes award-winning school architectural designs in K-12 schools and universities illustrating innovative, yet practical, solutions in planning, design, and construction. Project information including school location, statistical data covering school size and project costs, and the architectural firms involved are provided. (GR)

Discusses school design trends for K-12 public schools focusing on such issues as school size, interdisciplinary learning, team teaching, and less rigid classroom structure and more independence for students. Strategies and questions to consider for achieving design goals for the future are highlighted, including classroom shapes for elementary…

Argues that school media centers should be more than an archival site for traditional print resources but also an interactive system open to the Internet and multimedia-instruction technology. The components of an interactive, information-age school media center are examined. (GR)

Discusses public education trends and ways in which schools can support these initiatives through smaller school design. Planning community schools that make a positive contribution to students and the community is explored. (GR)

Explains how Minnesota's first nature-center-based preschool supports its curriculum with a homey, child-friendly country house design. Several photos are included. (GR)

Presents award-winning K-12 and college facility designs for 2001. Includes brief descriptions of each design along with photos, a floor plan, and project information covering such data as square footage, project costs, and student capacity. (GR)

Discusses the United Kingdom's "Classrooms of the Future," an initiative in school building design to develop pilot projects that explore different design options for delivering education in the 21st century. Twelve proposals for participation in the initiative are detailed. (GR)

Discusses the benefits that schools and universities can gain by adopting environmentally sensitive practices in their design and operations. Includes resources for locating additional information about green schools and a list of 11 features that represent a comprehensive, sustainable school. (GR)

Before selecting an architect, a school district should formulate clear expectations regarding the extent of the architect's services and responsibilities. One standard contract often proposed by architects is a document developed by the American Institute of Architects. Points out the shortcomings of this contract to a school district's interests…

Provides a compendium of the first 10 years (1969-1980) of articles published in the professional journal, "The Educational Facility Planner." Each article entry contains its title, journal location, author, and brief abstract. A title index is included. (GR)

Presents American's with Disabilities Act guidelines for building school toilet facilities that serve children with disabilities. Several dimension charts are provided showing min/max measurements. (GR)

Presents design guidelines and organizational and site principles for creating schoolyards where students can learn about ecology. Principles for building schoolyard ecological systems are described. (GR)

The foot and mouth crisis forced many British outdoor education providers to develop new options. The construction of an abseiling tree is described, which requires a living, healthy, straight tree with a trunk thick enough to remain stable under load and with few branches in the lower 15-20 meters. An abseil tree code of practice is presented.…

A North Carolina middle school demonstrates that high performance, sustainable school buildings cost no more to build and are more comfortable and productive learning environments than conventional buildings. (Author)

Discusses key lessons in school landscape design. Landscapes should: (1) include trees and plants that themselves provide hands-on teaching opportunities; (2) enhance health and safety in a number of ways while performing their other functions; (3) be sensitively designed relative to location to cut energy costs; and (4) be aesthetic as well as…