Drawing on a socio-materialist perspective, this study analyses connections between cultural contexts, the social situatedness of learning experiences and the material artefacts in rural Chilean schools. Our focus on different dimensions of design foregrounds the ways materials and places may act together with other elements to influence human…

Improving the school building may well be the most overlooked means of improving student health, safety, and academic performance. Yet in conversations about factors that lead students to academic success, only rarely does the role of the physical environment come to the fore. By downplaying the importance of the building, policymakers and parents…

Schools and universities throughout the United States now appear to be embracing green roofs as one of many environmentally friendly initiatives. However, once a green roof is in place, school managers soon realize they are not the same as typical landscaping. Although they tend to be relatively low-maintenance, the location and highly specialized…

A brief discussion of the need for innovation in modern school design. (AA)

The Progressive Architecture Awards Jury gave one citation in the category of "individual projects designed in machinelike packages." The award facility for educational research stresses potential to change form and adapt to emerging programs in education. (Author/MF)

An architect interested in schools offers suggestions on how color affects student happiness and productivity. (Editor)

Since the modern architect is freed from the formal design criteria that previously molded his work, he must replace these restrictions with some of his own creation. (CK)

Two government clients, the state of California, and the Tennessee Valley Authorit y, are encouraging building design that reduces the use of energy. (Author)

The Progressive Architecture Awards Jury gave citations to three projects grouped as "the response by architects to environmental problems." One citation was awarded to a college campus design utilizing solar energy, recycled materials, and wind power. (MF)

The difficulties and the accomplishments of an Alaskan-based architectural firm. (MLF)

Discusses a method architects and planners can use in designing buildings based on behavior and activities of people who will inhabit them. Shows a particular setting or environment influences the behavior of all individuals in it. Statistical data are translated into floor plans. (BL)

Explores the idea that both the design and the use of buildings are part of a general human learning process concerned with the use of space. Argues that researchers face the need to bridge the gap between designers and users on the one hand and "objective" observers on the other. Gives a critique of some current methods of research in buildings…

The special issue of the journal, Children in Contemporary Society, contains 17 brief articles on environmental design for young handicapped and normal children. Articles have the following titles: "Introduction", "Environmental Design and Architecture", "Why Is Environmental Design Important to Young Children", "Children's Hospital National…

THREE SCHOOLS WERE BUILT WITH EXTENSIVE USE OF GLASS INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR WALLS. AFTER ABOUT TWO YEARS OF USE, RESPONSE TO THESE FACILITIES BY TEACHERS, STUDENTS, ADMINISTRATORS, PARENTS, AND MAINTENANCE PEOPLE WAS DETERMINED BY QUESTIONNAIRE AND INTERVIEW. THE REPORTED REACTIONS WERE OVERWHELMINGLY FAVORABLE. (JT)