Efforts to reinvent public education in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina have drawn such interest that it's easy to lose sight of some very concrete changes that will become obvious over time: A generation of brand-new school buildings is rising across the city. New Orleans is in the early stages of a construction spree both to build and…

Lured by the recognition that comes with a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating from the U.S. Green Building Council, many schools and universities have become aware of that certification process. But for years, the involvement was limited to a few trendsetters; according to the Green Building Council's database, only about…

One of the deadliest and most destructive tornadoes in the history of the United States ripped through the southeast Missouri town of Joplin on May 22, 2011. As it traveled along a 13-mile path it claimed 161 lives and caused more than $151 million in damages. Ten schools were damaged or destroyed and Joplin High School was a total loss. Just 48…

This article talks about how the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) embraced a precedent-setting green policy that would forever change its approach to education. The "greenprint" for how environmental design and construction could be done mandates that all new buildings funded with at least half of the funds from its $2.2…

Topic coverage defines the interaction and relationships between school officials and professionals in the fields of design and planning. Preliminary discussion involves school function and educational planning, while the topic of architect choice considers--(1) professional role, (2) basic factual data, (3) selection methods, and (4) contracts…

A school building project in Spokane, Washington, will replace 12 inner-city elementary schools, expand a thirteenth, and construct a new high school. Substantial cost savings in both materials and design are expected to result from adapting a prototype design to existing sites. (Author/MLF)

This thesis examines what practices schools and school districts need to adopt if they want to apply sustainable design principles to their new schools and the benefits these design practices offer school communities. The paper argues that school districts will benefit from these design principles, and that these benefits will occur because…

One of the newer management systems used in school construction is design build bidding. It is most useful where no conflict exists, where the only goal is to get the least expensive building, and where no user input is desirable. It is not desirable if the building needs flexibility for future needs, or if there is concern for life-cycle cost.…

The importance of long-term planning, and undesirable conditions resulting from failure to plan, are stressed. General procedures named as essential are--(1) the official approval of the Board of Education before the administration proceeds with long-range planning, (2) the design of the school plant around the educational program it is to serve,…

Methods of making school plant and community surveys are explained. An outline for developing educational programs into educational specifications is presented, and responsibilities are listed for all the persons involved in developing educational specifications. A checklist is included of suggested steps to be followed while conducting a building…

Author, the director of Religious Education, Diocese of Guildford, England, discusses radical changes in architectural design for Church of England schools. (DR)

Areas covered by this guide are--(1) ten steps for preparing a building program, from the determination of needs to the purchasing of insurance, (2) recommendations for elementary school sites and criteria for site selection, and (3) facility recommendations, which deal with classroom size and special facilities. (RH)

Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts and its architects devised a way to plan for growth and to coordinate development over 10 years of four buildings with a diversity of uses; time completion with planned population growth; save land, energy administrative time, and fund-raising efforts; and provide added educational benefits. (MLW)

This descriptive study involving interviews with school district superintendents assesses the congruence to a School Facilities Construction Model by school districts participating in the 1983 to 1990 round of Ohio School Building Assistance Projects. Chapter 1 introduces a general background on the need for studying the amount of congruence to a…