The benefits of student-staff partnerships are widely reported in the Students-as-Partners literature. It is envisaged that partnership initiatives can have a transformative effect on institutional cultures, however, how this transformation might be achieved is less clear. Building on transdisciplinary and systems change perspectives, we propose a…

This study explored educators' perceptions of green school practices in the USA using an online survey to address the larger issue of what it means to be "green" in an educational context. A total of 93 green schools from 27 states in the USA returned a completed survey. SPSS was used to analyze educators' perceptions of green school…

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…

Numerous studies have demonstrated the benefits of daylight on the learning environment. Enhanced student performance and mood, increased teacher and student attendance, reduced energy costs, as well as a positive effect on the environment are some of the improvements seen in school buildings that use well-planned daylighting concepts. Looking at…

School districts throughout the country are suffering from aging schools, repair and maintenance backlogs, and budget short-falls. The result is insufficient government resources to ensure that students are provided adequate classrooms and facilities to enhance learning and student achievement. In Hawaii, the repair and maintenance backlog for…

Green design, green construction, and green operations for new buildings are rapidly becoming the norm for school districts throughout the country. Today, increased availability of green products and technology coupled with cost savings that are realized through an integrated design process mean that schools like Arabia Mountain High School in…

The "Talking Stick" is published bimonthly, six times a year in January/February, March/April, May/June, July/August, September/October, and November/December by the Association of College and University Housing Officers-International. Each issue is divided into three sections: Features, Columns, and Departments. These sections contain…

Examples of how open-plan systems allow architects both better flexibility and greater creativity. (Author/MLF)

The first evaluative study is a survey of user -- student and teacher -- response to the School Construction Systems Development (SCSD) schools and to elements of the SCSD building system. Results of the 3,000 person survey are presented both as comparative findings for the 11 SCSD schools involved and as response profiles for each of the schools.…

Reports that the modular, or systems construction technique, through greater preplanning, is providing improved school facilities while holding the line on construction costs. Examples of the successful use of this systems approach in single school buildings are provided. (JF)

A selected reference list is presented of 94 source publications of interest to architects contemplating employing systematic methods in the execution of professional services involving planning, programing, and design. The publication is divided into four major topical areas--(1) architectural design, (2) design (general), (3) decision making,…

At Stockton State College the overall layout and the natural setting are correlated in a way that does not disturb the terrain. Another correlation, both conceptual and operational, exists between the facilities for the arts and the sciences. Available from: Architectural Record, 1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020, $5.00 single…

Interview with Ezra Ehrenkrantz, architect and advocate of the systems approach to school design.

Building systems can be traced back to a 1516 A.D. project by Leonardo da Vinci and to a variety of prefabrication projects in every succeeding century. When integrated into large and repetitive spatial units through careful design, building systems can produce an architecture of the first order, as evidenced in the award winning design of…

The third in a series of leaflets designed for dissemination of information on school building, this publication describes the method of school building developed by the Centre de Rationalisation et d'Organisation des Constructions Scolaires (C.R.O.C.S.) in the Commune de Lausanne, Switzerland. In Lausanne, the concurrence of lengthening students'…