The purpose of the present article is to attend to the theoretical and methodological implications of expanding a view of geosemiotic to include a social geography lens. A Geosemiotics<-->social geography approach creates possibilities to more fully attend to the dynamic and dialogic relationship of material, spatial, and social resources as…

For a number of years, higher education has moved away from didactic teaching toward collaborative and self-directed learning. This paper discusses how the configuration and spatial geometry of learning spaces influences engagement and interaction, with a particular focus on hierarchies between people within the space. Layouts, presented as…

Space has been of growing significance in social theory in recent years, yet, explorations of it in the scholarship of higher education have been limited. This is surprising, given the critical role space has in shaping staff and students' engagement with the university. Taking a practice-based approach and focusing on academic identities, this…

On 26 February in Lisbon a team from the OECD's Centre for Effective Learning Environments (CELE) presented its first review of a national school building programme. The school building renovation programme in Portugal, which began in March 2007, involves the renovation of 332 schools by 2015. However, Portugal plans to complete 205 by the end of…

Surplus school spaces, highlighted by falling enrollments, will significantly affect educational building policies in the eighties. Accordingly, this document consists of a comprehensive analysis of the causes of surplus, the problems and opportunities that follow, and the implications for policy and planning. Part 1 analyzes the six major causes…

The result of a detailed 2-year space needs analysis of the University of Idaho Library, this study focuses on the three primary space requirement elements of users, collection components, and library staff and support services. A summary of issues and recommendations is presented, and the following specific subjects are considered in detail: (1)…

Refinements of space standards and a survey of physical facilities are reported for Ontario-area universities. Part I, "1987 Refinements to the Council of Ontario Universities (COU) Space Standards," updates the interim report issued in August 1986 and consists of the following: development of the COU space standards, the work of the…