The May/June 2009 issue of "Facilities Manager" introduced APPA readers to the Whole Building Design Guide (WBDG)--today's most comprehensive Internet-based depository of resources contributing to a systems approach for everything of a building nature. The emphasis in that article was on Operations and Maintenance (O&M) issues and procedures. In…

Design, which is basically a decisionmaking process, requires certain information. Although the nature and quantity of information needed vary greatly from task to task, the designer could be greatly assisted if some means were devised to help him decide which information is essential for his particular task. In the design of buildings, the…

Discusses the School Construction Systems Development (SCSD) project, a system of mass produced facility components. The experience provided by the project should be of value to those using the systems approach to design and construction. (JF)

The literature on instructional design argues that curricula, educational materials, and instructional strategies are best created using a systems approach, and models for the systematic design of educational programs have proliferated over the past decade. However, these models are prescriptive and not based on research into how designers…