Accommodating change in existing buildings on a college campus or in a school district is challenging, but manageable. The key to successful adaptive reuse is thoughtful and thorough decision-making. Why consider recycling existing buildings? There are many reasons, including limited institutional resources, the increasing cost of new…

The advantages and disadvantages of five alternative ways of using surplus space available to school systems. (Author)

Discusses ideas for adapting old school buildings to meet current needs. (JF)

Describes how a Michigan school district transformed several free-standing, "warm-weather" high school buildings into clustered areas connected by enclosed corridors. Space is now grouped by instructional area or the use of related equipment, and the building shell is tight and energy-efficient. (MLH)

Briefly describes each of 56 exemplary school modernization and renovation projects throughout the U.S. and lists a person at each site to contact for more information. (JG)

Addressed to arts organizations and public school districts, this guide comprises questionnaires and work sheets for step-by-step planning to use surplus schools for arts projects. An introduction alerts planners to the complex forces involved in reuse of surplus school space and outlines four common planning situations: an arts group actively…

Describes how renovation and a little imagination can convert a city's older commercial buildings into sensitive, supportive quarters for education. The demographic changes within New York are offered as an example to other cities of the need for new kinds of facilities, rather than the need for new additional structures. (Author/WM)

Written for both students and practitioners, this book is a comprehensive treatise on the planning, remodeling, and maintenance of educational facilities. The subject matter is organized to blend theory and practice. Part I deals primarily with theory, principles, and techniques of educational facilities planning, covering school building history,…

Declining enrollments are leaving many districts with space they no longer need. The conversion of surplus school buildings to new uses can often provide communities with new vitality. Examples show unused schools converted for use as apartments, shops, and office space for public agencies. (Author/MLF)

A three-step plan identifies unused space and puts it to work to handle growing enrollments in static facilities by: (1) comparing with other schools; (2) analyzing space needs; and (3) finding usable space. Photographs illustrate space reclaimed at three schools. (MLF)

The number of students in schools is growing, and school boards are faced with the choice to renovate or build new schools. Terms used when talking about remodeling and building schools are defined. Formulas to use when challenged by the renovate-or-rebuild dilemma and questions that need consideration during the decision-making process are…

Beginning on the front cover, this article recommends planning ahead and involving the community in surplus school use decisions. It suggests turning surplus schools into projects restoring historic buildings and benefitting neighborhoods. (JM)

The traditional division of the school into discrete classrooms does not fill today's diverse student and faculty needs. The alternative might be a school divided into 40 individual carrels, 15 project rooms, 5 offices, 2 seminar rooms, and 1 multipurpose room. (Author/JM)

That preservation and recycling of unused school buildings to other community uses is both economically and socially sound is illustrated by several examples. Information on federal grants for conversion of unused school buildings to community education and activities centers is included. (MF)