Dissatisfied with the options offered by big box stores--and wanting to save some money and go as green as possible--the author puts his design and construction skills to good use. In this article, he shares how he designed and built an eco-friendly shed. He says he is very pleased with the results of working with his own design, reducing waste,…

This article presents an interesting design challenge for students, one that will certainly let them integrate subject matter and get a sense of pride for doing something useful in their own community. The author would be willing to bet that the average town or city has some old red brick manufacturing building(s) that have seen much better days.…

Teaching building science to community college students can be challenging given both the macro (houses change subject to varying seasons) and the micro (heat transfer, moisture movement) level of the topics taught. Simulations and games can provide a way of learning material that can otherwise be difficult for students to understand. In this…

Designing and building homes is normally the responsibility of a professionally trained workforce. So a lot of people are skeptical about the idea of a team of high school students taking on those tasks. Would a young, untrained group of students be able to undertake and successfully complete the construction of an entire home, from start to…

The building and decoration of the Library of Congress in the late nineteenth century were emblematic of America's longing to be regarded as an enlightened nation and to take its rightful place among the great civilizations of the past. The sources for this ambition, illustrated in the paintings, sculptures, and inscriptions in the library's…

There has been a tremendous increase in use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in the design and construction industry. There have been numerous case studies that have documented the improvements. The majority of these improvements have focused on better coordination of design resulting in fewer Requests for Information and/or change orders.…

Describes how the North Indiana Conference of the United Methodist Church has designed new conference lodges and improved existing facilities to increase flexible space at its camps and conference centers. Outlines the flexible use of bedrooms/dormitories and activity rooms. Includes floor plans. (SV)

This article describes a unit of instruction designed to promote a conceptual understanding of area in sixth-grade students. Students used benchmarks to estimate the areas of real houses and calculated the areas of houses based on building plans. (Contains 7 figures.)

Discusses the efforts, problems, and controversies involved in the full-scale reconstruction of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. Critics question the cost and necessity while supporters proclaim its value as a monument to western civilization. The theater opens to a full season of plays in 1997. (MJP)

Computer programs capable of describing the thermal behavior of buildings are used to help architectural students understand environmental systems. The Numerical Simulation Laboratory at the Architectural School of the University of Texas at Austin was developed to provide the necessary software capable of simulating the energy transactions…

This report presents materials from a Washington State project to develop a curriculum outline of three courses for energy conservation to be used in vocational supplement classes. It first presents results from an industrial survey on which engineers, architects, and mechanical contractors rated objectives for the three courses. Next are provided…