Discusses six considerations when designing and building computer and technology features into modern educational facilities. Issues include selecting a location, adapting to next generation technology, and planning for networking and wiring needs. Suggests that planning efforts should make certain that the technology acquired coincides with the…

In 2000, ASBO International Certificates of Excellence went to Arcon Associates, Inc., in Lombard, Illinois; Barbour/LaDouceur Architects and Ellerbe Becket in Minneapolis, Minnesota; Fanning/Howey Associates in Indianapolis, Indiana; and Tomaino Iamello Associates in Deal, New Jersey, for school building construction/renovation projects. (MLH)

Discusses school site planning and policies and the problem of school sprawl. Cutting down on free parking to help reduce school sprawl is explored as is why planners and educators should think about public accessibility when designing schools. (GR)

Discusses how an urban renewal project created a playground for the mind, inspiring the study of science, math, and technology. The area's use of its natural surroundings to inspire curiosity and evoke an interest in learning by stimulating the senses is described. Photos and diagrams are included. (GR)

Shows how architects are designing new schools to function as community centers, reflect contemporary teaching methods, address demands for technology, and meet increased standards in health and safety. (GR)

Discusses how an architectural firm took an abandoned mini-mall in Los Angeles and converted it into a charter school that helped revive the neighborhood in the process. (GR)

Discusses how architects redesigned an old, dark, and brooding school building into a school whose architecture, and the physical environment it creates, play a positive role in student learning. Photos and a floorplan are included. (GR)

Highlights a new K-12 school gymnasium in Mexico that changes and reacts to weather conditions, requires no air conditioning, and, on typical days, uses sunlight filtering through its ample clerestory as the sole source of illumination. Includes numerous photographs, a section drawing, and a site plan. (GR)

Explores the renewed attention architects and end users are giving to green design strategies from reducing energy waste to utilizing sustainable materials. Green design characteristics involving, water efficiency, reducing energy waste, indoor air quality, and use of particular environmentally responsible materials are examined. (GR)

The Chief Leschi School in Tacoma, Washington, is slated to open in fall 1996. Tribal elders and students, representing the 55 tribes whose children will attend the school, participated in a May 26, 1995, ground-blessing ceremony. The concentric site plan employs the sacred circle as its dominant architectural motif. (MLF)

A new state-of-the-art marine science laboratory at Eckerd College (Florida) is a study in the power of research, teamwork, attention to detail, and cost control. A redundant piping system brings sea water directly to the students. Once a week the pipes that previously held sea water are flushed and refilled with fresh water. (MLF)

Reviews the evolution of changing educational needs and school design solutions that have enriched public education and provided new, and flexible schoolhouses which can be integrated into the community. Some of the struggles encountered during this evolution are discussed. (GR)

Describes the design of the Charles V. Park Library at Central Michigan University and the Martha Rivers and E. Bronson Ingram Library, an addition to the Frederick Ferris Thompson Memorial Library at Vassar College. Discusses the libraries as examples of merging tradition with technology. Includes photographs. (EV)

Explores the progress of utopian ideals throughout the history of university development, suggesting that whenever a new educational ideal and its architectural prototype occurred in different countries and cultures, a utopian concept has always been present. Uses architectural examples to assert that the quality of the university is directly…

Offers tips on energy efficiency and building design that can help schools reduce operating costs, improve academic performance, address health and safety issues, and protect the environment. (EV)