On 26 February in Lisbon a team from the OECD's Centre for Effective Learning Environments (CELE) presented its first review of a national school building programme. The school building renovation programme in Portugal, which began in March 2007, involves the renovation of 332 schools by 2015. However, Portugal plans to complete 205 by the end of…

Saving energy through energy efficiency improvements can cost less than generating, transmitting, and distributing energy from power plants, and provides multiple economic and environmental benefits. Local governments can promote energy efficiency in their jurisdictions by developing and implementing strategies that improve the efficiency of…

West Hartford, Connecticut, found ways to renovate old buildings to meet today's educational demands, yet chopped about $10 million off the original estimate. (Author)

A school district renovates three buildings, builds a new high school, abandons eight buildings, and reorganizes the entire educational process. (Author)

At Davidson College in North Carolina, a recycling program has turned attics into lecture halls, laboratories, and a museum; a banquet hall is now an art gallery; and the main classroom building was remodeled. (Author/MLF)

Georgia Southern College bought some rundown private dormitories and renovated them to meet increased demands for on-campus housing. (Author/MLF)

The Boston school system saved $3 million by renovating the old Boston Gas Company building rather than building a new school. (WD)

In their general policy, school boards should include a periodic review of all pertinent facts regarding obsolescence, renovation, and rehabilitation of school buildings. Should the estimated cost of rehabilitation equal about 60 to 70 percent of the estimated cost of the replacement, in the long term assessment, it might be more satisfactory to…

Library transformation requires a cohesive vision and execution. Beyond excellent management, organization, technical deployment and collection development, success of the public library as a sense of place requires additional dimensions. This includes attention to the details of environment, presentation, ambiance, graphics, customer service and…

Based on a series of workshops, this collection of papers provides a framework for thought--emphasizing planning within time, flexibility, and maintenance constraints--as well as a practical guide for actual engineering of remodeling/renovation/conversion projects. Is remodeling always less expensive than new construction? Should high initial…

To maintain good light quality while attempting to reduce energy costs, the University of Illinois (Chicago) investigated a variety of light-related cutbacks. An inexpensive, quickly installed current-limiting device (NO-WATT manufactured by Remtec Systems) on 1000 fixtures resulted in energy savings of $18,000 annually. (DH)

One of the spaces in the renovated Carnegie Library in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, is used for a theater with rented seating, stage, production, and costumes returned when no longer needed. (Author/MLF)

A Davenport, Iowa, school district has remodeled a department store into a vocational and technical school currently housing 250 students on half-day programs. (Author/MLF)

The audit establishes how much and what kind of energy is consumed by each energy user in a building. This identifies the most cost-effective changes to maximize the performance of the existing mechanical and electrical systems and the building skin. Available from Consulting Engineer, 1301 S. Grove Avenue, Barrington, Illinois 60010, $15.00 per…