Describes the award-winning designs of several middle schools, including the educational context and design goals. Includes information on the designers and construction costs. Also includes the floor plan and photographs. (EV)

Describes the design and construction of the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy in West Las Vegas, a charter school for underprivileged children. Includes various project data. (EV)

Describes the design of the Isabel Bader Theatre at Victoria University of the University of Toronto, including the educational context and design goals. Includes building plans and photographs. (EV)

Discusses how gymnasiums, natatoriums, and lobbies can be notorious echo chambers, but that panels, baffles, banners, and blocks can help reduce unpleasant acoustics. (EV)

The 1979 passive solar design for Meadow Park Elementary School (Irvine, California) was not used until 1986. Architects had incorporated workable energy-saving features that would give a sizable return on the investment. They maximized use of natural light and used solar features (clerestory windows and interior courtyards) to reduce heat…

The lessons learned about classroom design considerations from the experience of the University of California at Santa Cruz through its remediation of classroom flaws are discussed and illustrated. Topics addressed include acoustical and visual conditions, wall and ceiling angles, shapes, and materials, the floor, seating, and durability and…

The requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) concerning public school building accessibility are summarized. Requirements discussed include facility design and braille and raised letter signs. (DB)

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)

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)

A prime mover behind larger space requirements is expansion of legal entitlements for children with disabilities, under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The list of architectural interventions has lengthened, and is matched by burgeoning effects on space and budgets. Nonphysical barriers must also be addressed. (MLH)

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)

Describes the design of the expansion of the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) Advanced Computation Building at the University of Illinois, Champaign. Discusses how the design incorporated column-free space for flexibility, cooling capacity, a freight elevator, and a 6-foot raised access floor to neatly house airflow, wiring,…

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)

Describes an award-winning design of a new residence hall at the University of Toronto's St. George campus. The new residence's plan, designed by Saucier and Perrotte Architectes, emphasizes a spirit of communal interaction. Includes design drawings and schematics. (EV)

Describes how the Durant Road Middle School in Raleigh, North Carolina sets a new standard in environmental school design. "Daylighting," bringing daylight into the building for psychological, health, and energy-saving benefits, plays a central role in the design. (EV)