The purpose of this study was to assess the present state of building systems, to analyze projects currently being developed, and to predict future advances in systems. "Building system" is used to designate a minimum of three major subsystems designed to fit and function together without the necessity of onsite cutting or other extensive…

In 1968, the Province of New Brunswick initiated a three-phase program to provide for elementary school facilities, employing a component systems approach to their construction. This booklet describes briefly the planning and construction of these schools, and provides graphic and photographic records of the construction in progress as well as of…

This paper reviews briefly the literature concerned with the use of modular components in the construction of educational facilities. Fourteen of the documents reviewed have previously been cited in RIE. The essence of the material found in the reviewed literature is organized into and discussed under the topics (1) modular components and…

Comprehensive building systems are the result of industry's search for markets, clients' desire for shorter hours and lower costs, and the growing complexity of building technology which requires the architect to depend on industry for research and development. Certain questions are raised by this trend. Will industry dominate architecture? Can…

Floor plans and illustrations present a simplified building system for an elementary school that can be utilized by any school board. All components for the system can be drawn from existing products and readily integrated with the structure. The component assembly and connections are illustrated in detail. Factory production is utilized to reduce…

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…

A 19-story building on the University of Minnesota's Minneapolis campus houses the College of Dentistry and basic science teaching facilities. It is both the focal point of an expansion of the university's health sciences complex and a prototype for other buildings that are part of the expansion. (Author/MLF)

Replacing the general contractor with a "construction manager" directly accountable to the owner promises greatly improved control over cost and scheduling economies. The construction manager should have special skills in construction, cost analysis, critical path method scheduling, and be familiar with the qualifications of local subcontractors.…

A description is presented of the building system program developed by the Metropolitan Toronto School Board, Study of Educational Facilities. The organization of the project is discussed, and the rationale is presented for the selection of an open systems approach to the School Board's building needs. Detailed information is given regarding the…

The major special feature of a planned college building is the application of Academic Building System (ABS) planning concepts to the building design and construction. The primary feature of this approach is total future flexibility of general academic space by use of movable and compatible subsystems. These subsystems appear in the form of…

This newsletter details the efforts of the University of Alaska to develop a systems approach that will provide facilities for higher education in a State with an area more than three and one half times that of New Jersey, Florida, and Oregon combined. The problem involved in providing appropriate facilities in a State such as Alaska are…

The main article in this newsletter concerns the adoption by an architectural firm of elements of a systems approach as a means of providing school buildings responsive spatially and environmentally to educational change, and how these activities were later instrumental in facilitating entry by the architectural firm into the construction…