Drexel University, a private university in Philadelphia, is expanding its campus to attract more students, faculty, and researchers. The current President, John Fry, envisions transforming West Philadelphia into an innovation district. The university is working with real estate developers on a $3.5 billion real estate project at Schuylkill Yards,…

Good architecture responds to contemporary challenges, irrespective of fashionable trends, and is characterised by rigorous building processes. Office buildings, housing, stadiums and theatres offer outstanding examples of this principle. But do school buildings figure among them? Happily, in Germany they do, although they are still too rare. This…

Like many other jurisdictions, the western Canadian province of Alberta is seeking cost-effective and creative ways of providing school infrastructure that meets the needs of 21st century learning. Solutions are being found through the use of alternative financing and procurement arrangements and through innovative approaches to creating flexible…

Public education is one of the central tasks of a democratic society, and the buildings that house this important task not only shape the way one teaches, but provide icons and symbols for the values people hold common as a society. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this context has placed school buildings squarely in a position of debate and innovation…

In its first issue, American School and University reported on the construction of Columbia High School in Maplewood, New Jersey. Fifty years later, a report on how well the building has stood the test of time. (Author/MLF)

Presents design, construction, and cost data for the University of Michigan's Kellogg Building expansion and renovation project. A list of project manufacturers and suppliers is provided along with four photographs and four floor plans. (GR)

Traces the master planning efforts for expanding the campus of Prairie View A & M University in Houston, Texas, through to the year 2015. The plan's framework for growth includes significantly enhancing student campus life by building privatized housing and providing improvements and enhancements for future off-campus extensions. (GR)

Describes the architectural planning for a new engineering and science building at the University of Texas-Pan American (Edinburg) where the campus design (Louis Kahn architectural concept) emphasizes an extensive and expressive use of brick and strongly geometric forms. How the new building retained the flavor of the old campus design while…

A solar heating, cooling, and hot water system for the addition to Escambia County High School in Atmore (Alabama) also serves as a statewide demonstration program. (Author/MLF)

Portrays the University of Texas Library and Lecture Center in Odessa, Texas, whose design enables it to maintain a dramatic presence despite its proximity to the school's imposing academic building. The library illustrates the benefits of adhering to the school's master plan, which forced new buildings to be smaller than the academic building yet…

Design flexibility allows a new auditorium at an Illinois high school to be three theaters in one. While the large auditorium supports 1,200 seats, two rotating platforms can divide the large space into a 240-seat small theater and a 240-seat recital hall, leaving a 720-seat auditorium in the center. (MLF)

Illustrates a large campus renovation and expansion project at the University of Pennsylvania, whose quadrangle preserves the school's historical buildings and student union as the center of student activity. Includes nine photographs, a site plan, and project data. (GR)

THE DESIGN OF THIS ECONOMICALLY PLANNED SCHOOL IS DEVELOPED TO SUIT A GENERALIZED SET OF AREA CHARACTERISTICS. THE COMPACT PLAN CENTRALIZES THE BULK OF STUDENT ACTIVITIES AROUND AN OPEN COURT, WHILE LOCATING THE NOISY AND HEAVY TRAFFIC FACILITIES AT THE PERIMETER OF THE BUILDING. THE DESIGN FEATURES--(1) CLASSROOM FLEXIBILITY AND MODIFICATION…

THE PROGRAM FOR AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL FACILITY REQUIRED 14 CLASSROOMS WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR ACCOMMODATING AN INCREASE OF SEVEN CLASSROOMS. THE EXPANSION POTENTIAL ALSO INVOLVED ADDITION OF A CONSIDERABLE NUMBER OF NON-TEACHING AREAS. THE DESIGN FEATURED A CENTRAL CORE CONTAINING ADMINISTRATION, PLAYROOM, CAFETERIA, AND KITCHEN FACILITIES WITH TWO…

THIS PROGRAM FOR AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL FACILITY REQUIRES 21 CLASSROOMS WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR ACCOMMODATING AN INCREASE OF SEVEN CLASSROOMS. THE PLAN SOLUTION WAS CHOSEN UPON REVIEW OF FIVE DIFFERENT SCHEMATIC TYPES. A MULTI-WING PLAN WAS DEVELOPED WITH A CENTRAL CORE, TWO CLASSROOM WINGS, AND A SEMI-DETACHED KINDERGARTEN ELEMENT. EXPANSION OF THE…