In recent years, more education administrators and designers have embraced the potential benefits of daylighting. They have been persuaded that using natural light to illuminate facilities enables schools and universities to conserve energy and provide a learning environment in which students perform better. For daylighting advocates, the…

This paper discusses the special problems of research in desiging for user groups with various functional limitations, such as the elderly, the mentally ill, and the economically deprived. (Author)

Two architects review housing needs of the handicapped elderly and give some specific design considerations for safety and mobility. (MF)

Attempts to define the fundamental dimensions of human activity and some of the social controls exercised over them in the built environment. Activity is treated as an abstraction of human behavior which can be usefully related to certain aspects of the environment. The explanatory power and use of activity studies are explored. (Author)

Describes attributes of educational facilities that (1) influence occupants' performance (physical factors, task-related factors, user-friendliness, organizational qualities); (2) convey subtle messages (design statements, accessibility, spatial factors, aesthetics); and (3) influence programs and their delivery (technology, learning-style…

The current emphasis on energy conservation in buildings must be balanced by a careful consideration of how proposed approaches affect building occupants. A headlong rush toward building designs that conserve energy at the expense of the quality of buildings as judged by occupants would be a very shortsighted approach. There must be a continual…

The goal of the new Stiern Library at California State University at Bakersfield, as outlined in the introductory comments to these building and design specifications, is to bring together under one roof the various sources of the university's information and knowledge--i.e., library, computing, and media services--and to deliver information…

Traces how technological changes affect the architecture of the workplace. Traces these effects from the industrial revolution up through the computer revolution. Offers suggested designs for the computerized office of today and tomorrow. (JM)

A selection of technical reports, journal articles and books on various aspects of systematic methods for school planning and design, are presented in this bibliography. The subject areas include the design process in terms of--(1) practice, (2) theory, (3) methods, (4) decision systems, and (5) computer applications. Criteria for design with…

Recognizing that the need to exchange information has been one of the critical influences in urban design, the Twenty-First Colston Research Society (CRS) Conference explored a variety of topics in the area of communications, transportation, and the environment. These subjects were pursued from the British experience and most all the papers have…

The purpose of the study was to (a) determine the design features of the physical learning environment that support collaborative, project-based learning, and (b) to gain an understanding of the rationale for the selection of the features. The literature review indicated a need for changing learning expectations to prepare learners for rapidly…