This design case describes the process by which a private office was renovated using the Working Labs model, which engages students, faculty, and staff in hands-on engagement from project conception through completion and beyond into ongoing evaluation of everyday use. The spaces that follow the Working Labs model are intended to provide students…

Discusses studies showing that color and light have a significant influence on how students learn and retain information (for example, daylight is much more beneficial than fluorescent light). Describes how many architects and designers are now incorporating these findings into their work in schools. (EV)

Highlights the questions to ask when designing or retrofitting the lighting needs for a multipurpose campus facility. Issues addressed include the tasks the facility is expected to accommodate, the benefits of available lighting sources, the facility's layout and dimensions, aesthetics and functionality, and budgetary considerations. (GR)

Uniform illumination levels in the classroom and focused brightness on the "teaching wall" made good sense for students in Henry Ford's era. If you were training to take your place on the assembly line, you needed to focus on the work at hand and ahead to your supervisor, but the future no longer belongs to students who look only straight ahead.…

Offers 10 tips for renovating or building school washrooms that enhance user satisfaction while making them easier to maintain. Tips cover all aspects of school washroom design and highlights the following elements of effective washroom design development: user input; ease of maintenance; accessibility; and functionality. (GR)

Because community libraries are becoming centers of suburban and "exurban" activity, quiet study rooms are being constructed for customers intent on concentrated study. Discusses functional (size, location, furniture) and physical (acoustic, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, lighting, electronic support) considerations of quiet…

Presents solutions to architectural challenges in school interior design; these solutions made the indoor environments more conducive and attractive for learning. Addresses four challenges: making a long corridor look less like a tunnel; maintaining tradition and minimizing cost in a new athletic facility; designing a kindergarten that is secure…

Reviews the history of architectural developments in academic libraries. Highlights include natural lighting and the invention of the incandescent bulb; compact shelving; open versus closed stacks; modular construction methods; central air conditioning and controlled environments; interior arrangements; access to handicapped users and staff; and…

The failure of the "open classroom" concept of the 1960's has not diminished the need for researchers to continue to look at learning and teaching to better understand how educational spaces can be improved for everyone that uses them. This document summarizes presentations made at the 1997 American Institute of Architects (AIA)…

The formulation of a design for a library reference desk is discussed, basic planning considerations, height, and measurements of the desk, lighting and chairs, placement of the desk, prebuilt components, and evaluation. A six-item bibliography is included. (EJS)

As interest in green building grows, much discussion has focused on aligning a project with the principles of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification: (1) cost savings through energy and water conservation; (2) improved worker productivity; (3) health, insurance and risk-management benefits; and (4) enhanced building…

Discusses factors in redesigning school library media centers: electronic resources, electricity, furniture, lighting, and acoustics. Presents a case study of Wake County (North Carolina) Schools and describes the county standards for media center design and renovation for elementary, middle, and high schools. (PEN)

Reviews design factors to consider when planning library media centers. Highlights include planning teams; planning for more than one kind of learning; considering community as well as school use; planning for existing technology rather than future possibilities; considering ease of supervision; traffic patterns; lighting and sound damping; and…

Explains the planning process in designing effective library facilities and discusses library building requirements that result from electronic information technologies. Highlights include historical structures; Americans with Disabilities Act; resource allocation; electrical power; interior spaces; lighting; design development; the roles of…

Examines design considerations for public library interiors: access; acoustical treatment; assignable and nonassignable space; building interiors: ceilings, clocks, color, control, drinking fountains; exhibit space: slotwall display, floor coverings, floor loading, furniture, lighting, mechanical systems, public address, copying machines,…