In 2007, the author examined existing academic libraries in the United States to determine best practices for the design, implementation and service of learning commons facilities. A primary objective of this study was to discover how to create a higher education learning environment that sustains scholarship, encourages collaboration and empowers…

Examines how university libraries are thriving in an era of educational change, exploring ways in which to store print publications, examining how libraries are increasing space for services and activities, addressing new roles and partners for libraries, and offering architectural solutions to spatial constraints. (SM)

The Italian city of Cattolica has developed an urban complex, the Piazza della Repubblica, that offers a wide range of public services. In renovated facilities it provides a modern architectural setting based on the idea of a traditional town square. It houses a primary school, cultural center (including a library), and theater, and it is an…

The new National Maritime College of Ireland is regarded as the country's most exciting and innovative development in maritime training and education and is the first tertiary institution to be built and operated under the government's Public Private Partnership (PPP) model of procurement. The project is the outcome of a partnership between Cork…

Summarizes presentations from a 2002 seminar on designing schools for tomorrow. The four presentations are: "Developing Digital Work Areas for Education in France" (Nicolas Chung); "The School of the Future: An Italian Perspective" (Giorgio Ponti); "Measures for School Facilities in Japan" (Naoto Fukabori); and…

Situating the University of Thessaly in Volos and Larissa, Greece, represents the idea that the university has a role to play in the community, and, therefore, its facilities are integrated within the city. Describes an old factory warehouse converted to create "a building within a building," while preserving style of the former factory…

Since gaining independence in 1991, one of Slovenia's priorities has been to invest in education. The government has been investing its limited resources in the construction of buildings and their equipment, striving to provide quality, functional, flexible, and safe facilities. Much effort goes into searching for additional resources to invest in…

St. John's Central College, the third largest further education institution in Ireland, recently expanded and refurbished its facilities. The resulting site is more open to the community, and the new building spaces are designed in accordance with their social and academic functions.

Reviews designs for learning in the knowledge age, exploring the relationship between learning and the built environment, examining the role of teachers in designing educational spaces, and calling for a collaborative campaign, which relates space directly to changes in pedagogy, curriculum, and information and communication technologies and which…

One aspect of the Architects and Building Branch (A&B) at the British Department for Education in London, England, is a program of "development projects" in which new ideas designed to meet changing educational and technical requirements are tried out. For these projects, in which (A&B) architects provide a full architectural…

Summarizes four recent concerns of the Austrian Institute for School and Sport Facilities, which is responsible for current issues and problems related to educational buildings in the country: schools as low energy buildings, electromagnetic fields and school buildings, chairs and tables for educational buildings, and school grounds (learnscapes).…

Discusses the Netherland's approach to help students meet the basic competency requirements of employers and tertiary institutions. The new pedagogical approach, called Study House, integrates a nontraditional curriculum delivery that fosters students working in teams and setting their own tasks with an innovative classroom design. (GR)

The Waite Campus at the University of Adelaide, South Australia, houses industrial, research, and educational organizations. One advantage of this co-location is sharing the cost of facilities and equipment. The facilities described include Plant Research Center, Wine Science Laboratory, refectory, library, conference facilities, teleteaching,…