Following a brief account of his career as facilities planning officer for the Penn State University Libraries and library building consultant, this interview with William S. Pierce focuses on library facilities. Highlights include the importance of the workplace environment for library effectiveness, funding, attractiveness vs. functionality, the…

Describes a collaborative project in which art educators and architects worked together to design a space for educational programs in a museum. Discusses differing views about the space as a classroom or an active studio. Concludes that the collaborative experience heightened creativity among the participants and produced a design for a museum…

Describes the building design of Cougar Elementary School in Manassas Park, Virginia, including the educational context, design goals, and architects and construction manager. Also provides the floor plan and photographs. (EV)

Describes the building designs of Virginia's Frost Montessori School, Pole Green Elementary School in Hanover County, and five elementary schools in Carroll County. Describes the educational context, design goals, and architects. Also includes photographs. (EV)

Describes six trends in current library facilities design, whether for new buildings or renovations: self-service and operational efficiency; flexibility and technology integration; green/sustainable buildings that use the natural environment; collaboration between public and school/college libraries; aesthetics; and customizing to the local…

School design is changing in response to community needs. Today, flexibility is the key word in planning, designing, and renovating schools. Planning teams should consider schools' role as community learning centers. School size, shared space, enrollment changes, security, and parental choice of facilities are important planning elements. (MLH)

School security is a national concern. Throughout the country, youth crime and violence threaten to undermine the safety of American students' learning environment. This handbook is the product of a joint effort of the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) and DynCorp to help educators develop plans for reducing violence in…

This book offers and examines a number of suggestions for school architecture. The book consists of a review of 22 school projects from around the United States. The text opens with a brief history of school design in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, but the focus throughout the book focuses on several distinct elements: designing schools…

An examination was made of five major campus fires between 1971 and 1983 in an attempt to better understand the fire hazards associated with the operation of a modern U.S. college or university campus. Overall research revealed a general lack of interest in campus fire safety by colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. Analysis…

This unit focuses on Thomas Jefferson's route from his home at Monticello in Virginia to the White House when he traveled to Washington in November of 1800 for the upcoming presidential election. The document traces his journey by phaeton, a four wheeled light carriage, from Monticello to: (1) James Madison's home at Montpelier, a distance of 28…

This paper discusses a "language lab" strategy in which traditional studio learning may be supplemented by language lessons using computer graphics techniques to teach architectural grammar, a body of elements and principles that govern the design of buildings belonging to a particular architectural theory or style. Two methods of…

This upper-elementary level social studies curriculum guide is designed to: (1) teach students to understand and appreciate the built (man made) environment; (2) instruct students about Georgia's history and heritage; and (3) introduce the basic concepts of historic preservation. The unit highlights 10 architectural styles of the homes of famous…

Intrinsically safe design is presented as a logical extension of the principles of barrier free design, and as a higher level design strategy for effecting widespread implementation of the basic accessibility requirements for people with disabilities. Two fundamental planning procedures are proposed: including principles of safe and accessible…

Developed for use in library building projects--whether they involve remodeling, expanding, or erecting a new structure--this handbook discusses the roles of the library administrator, the board, the librarian, the architect, the library building consultant, the interior designer, the building contractor, and others. It also addresses the major…

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) became involved in the problem of homelessness through the establishment of the Search for Shelter program, a collaboration with several other architectural organizations. The program, led by the AIA Housing Committee, sought solutions to the housing crisis through a series of workshops held around the…