This study highlights how 20 Swedish principals, school managers and architects involved in planning, construction and reconstruction of primary and secondary school buildings at regional, municipal and local levels represent good learning environments. Drawing on semi-structured interviews, the analysis focuses on how the stakeholders understand…

When one thinks of 21st century schools, one thinks of geometric modern architecture, sustainable building materials, and high-tech modular classrooms. It's rare, though, that a district has the space or the money to build that school from the ground up. Instead, the challenge for most is the transformation of the 20th century architecture to…

The connections between the design and use of space in higher education, and the production of teaching and learning, and of research, are not well understood. This paper reports on a literature review on these topics, and shows that higher education spaces can be considered in various ways: in terms of campus design, in terms of how space can…

This paper discusses the process of updating school capacity, which is subject to change from a variety of factors (to comply with current building codes, changes in educational programs, changes in class size, expansion of educational services, and scheduling). The paper describes the two major components of updating school capacity: the program…

When designing schools, one should assign space for athletic fields, arrange halls so that traffic will not disturb classrooms, separate grade levels, provide playgrounds exclusively for younger children, and provide lighting and ventilation. Unit plans should be designed so that all educational and domestic activities can be executed in the…

Workshop articles address the importance of room arrangement in early childhood settings: "Creating Environments that Intrigue and Delight Children and Adults" (Wendy Shepherd and Jennifer Eaton); "3 Keys to Flexible Room Arrangement" (Elizabeth Prescott); "Mood: The Spirit of Place" (Anita Rui Olds); and…

Evaluating educational facilities requires utilizing an effective assessment process. The five key components of space adequacy are scheduling efficiency, design efficiency, technical capacity, practical capacity, site capacity, and suitability. Assessment of the physical adequacy of school building should explore the following areas:…

This presentation describes the development of an Icelandic school for students in grades 1-10. The school is based on the needs of students, their families, their communities, and their country. The process for making decisions about the new schools is called "design down," which refers to starting with the biggest issues and moving…

This document contains nationally recognized educational-facility designs, including the 1994 James D. MacConnell Award Winner--Heritage Oak Elementary School in Roseville, California. The architectural designs of other schools are also included--10 elementary schools, 6 high schools, 1 vocational school, 3 institutes of higher education, 1…

This report describes 21 educational buildings where innovative use was made of information technology in the educational process. The study was partially funded by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Programme on Educational Building (PEB). Site visits were conducted during spring and autumn 1993 to the 21 schools in…

This step-by-step guide helps communities think and talk about school renewal through innovative planning and design, and high quality construction. It begins with an overview of need and available funding, then describes potential members of a school-improvement team. These include: architects, state school agents, community groups, local elected…

This paper offers an outline for developing a program for designing and constructing a child care facility. The importance of the administrator's communication of specific plans to the architect in order to save time and money is emphasized. It is suggested that local child care licensing agencies be contacted for information about zoning…

This edition of an annual series of facilities inventory and utilization studies reflects the status of space in North Carolina institutions of higher education at the end of the drop-add period of the 1988 fall term at each college. It gives indications of the uses being made of the space and provides norms and historical information for the past…

Stages in the educational facility planning process are presented in this handbook, with a second focus on implementation. Four chapters provide information on the four cycles of the planning process, which include analysis and diagnosis, research and development, planning and programming, and implementation and evaluation. Characteristics of an…

Excellence in design of child care and other preschool facilities is an emerging issue in the architectural profession. This bibliography is intended to aid architects and other designers, child-care directors, policy makers, and researchers to locate the most up-to-date and best sources of design-relevant information. The bibliography is based on…