Notes that economic and service factors may dictate that special fire protection measures be given to computer rooms. The discussion covers emergency planning, various types of fire detection and suppression systems, and future options, with particular attention to halon and possible halon replacements. A list of suggested readings is provided.…

Describes the eight library buildings that won the 1993 Awards of Excellence for Library Architecture from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the American Library Association (ALA) including one adaptive reuse, four expansions, two new buildings, and one temporary building. (EAM)

The purpose of this article is to explore spatial orientation and wayfinding behavior of newcomers in an unfamiliar environment and to emphasize the importance of landmarks and spatial differentiation in the acquisition of environmental knowledge. One setting with a symmetrical layout and regularly organized, monotonous units on different floors…

In architectural design education, students develop drawing, conceptual, and critical skills which are informed by their ability to reflect upon the production of ideas in design processes and in the urban, environmental, social, historical, and cultural context that define architecture and the built environment. Reflective actions and thinking…

Urban universities present an inherent conflict for administrators who oversee campus planning and development. Some see the need to withdraw and create an academic refuge. Others believe a campus must integrate physically with the city in order to stay relevant. The two approaches cannot be more dramatically different, and they have profound…

Because of New York City's proximity to water, edifices were built with one step as a barrier to potential flooding. The increase in the disability population made it evident that this step formed a barrier to people who could not negotiate level changes, especially those in wheelchairs and motorized scooters. The Americans with Disabilities Act…

In recent years, more education administrators and designers have embraced the potential benefits of daylighting. They have been persuaded that using natural light to illuminate facilities enables schools and universities to conserve energy and provide a learning environment in which students perform better. For daylighting advocates, the…

A nontechnical guide to many facets in the design of efficient libraries is presented for everyone concerned with library building planning. The author discusses--(1) the problems involved in planning libraries for the future, (2) the library objectives and their relation to aesthetic problems, quality of construction, function and cost, (3) the…

The connections between the design and use of space in higher education, and the production of teaching and learning, and of research, are not well understood. This paper reports on a literature review on these topics, and shows that higher education spaces can be considered in various ways: in terms of campus design, in terms of how space can…

Discussion of communities of practice in workplace learning is widespread. Here the authors seek to consider how we can make use of communities of practice theory in practical teaching in a formal undergraduate educational context. The concept of what the authors call the double shift is discussed; a shift from the workplace as community of…

Purpose: Accompanying the recent concern for the quality of our nation's educational infrastructure, a growing body of research connects the quality of school facilities to both student outcomes including achievement, behavior, and attitude as well as to teacher attitude and behavior. Less is known about the mechanisms of these relationships. This…

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) 1990 includes a provision requiring that new construction and alterations to existing facilities comply with the ADA Standards for Accessible Design. This report explains 23 common accessibility errors or omissions that the Department of Justice has identified during the course of its enforcement efforts.…

Before designing Pittsburgh's new Harmarville Rehabilitation Center, which serves patients with severe physical and emotional problems, the architects spent days at the former center and used wheelchairs to get around their office in order to keep the handicapped concept uppermost in the design. (Author/MLF)

Sound reverberation time in the new concert hall in Birmingham, Alabama, can be adjusted to meet virtually any acoustic need. (Author/MLF)

A cabled air structure provides a spacious gymnasium with tennis, basketball, badminton, and volleyball courts. (Author/MLF)