A shortage of capital and appropriate education facilities prompted the Edmonton (Alberta) Public Schools to explore creative solutions such as leasing retrofitted facilities to house new academic programs. Landlords generally like school districts, considering them reliable, long-term tenants for hard-to-rent larger buildings. (MLH)

High-growth school districts can learn from Park City, Utah, about the adoption of school facility impact fees. These fees are levied against new residential units to offset the additional costs to a school district. A sidebar summarizes variation in state laws pertaining to impact fees and cites some legal challenges to their imposition. (MLF)

Discusses designing schools that blend intense educational planning with school architecture and the notion of shared school and community facilities. Additionally discussed are differences between urban and rural school designs, technology in school design, differences in design requirements of foreign schools, and the direction of the school…

Discusses Finland's new National Strategy for Education, Training, and Research in the Information Society for 2000-2004. The new strategy's objectives and how to achieve them are examined in the areas of planning of educational facilities and libraries, establishing virtual schools and distance learning, and integrating information technology in…

Presents an interview with Steven Bingler, an expert on community-based planning and design, about the design of public schools. Topics include the contribution of architecture to student learning, mega- versus small schools, the authentic economics of design decisions, and the role of the community in the design process. (EV)

Describes the $17-million sports complex being constructed in Topeka, Kansas to serve the city's 3 high schools and 125,000 residents. Describes how the school district successfully "pitched" a major sports project by assuaging the concerns of special-interest groups and garnering the support of skeptical taxpayers. (EV)

Describes the building designs of 21 schools of various types (such as technology centers and special education facilities), including their educational contexts and design goals. Includes information on size, construction costs, architects, and contractors. Also includes floor plans and photographs. (EV)

Changes in user needs resulted in Colorado State University Libraries' decision to turn a traditional library computer lab into an information commons. Issues raised during implementation are discussed, staff training modules are described, and the center's success is evaluated. Training quickly became a critical factor. (AEF)

Describes a substantial capital improvement campaign at City and Islington College in London, England, a postsecondary education institution spread over 10 sites in the city. Describes the rationale, planning, general design principles, and specifics of the three main projects. (EV)

Once a school district determines that modernization is the best alternative for a particular building, the planning process begins. The first step is determining how administrators and teachers would like to use the building. Flexible instructional spaces, technology wiring, comfort, and communication are important considerations. (MLH)

Discusses how to keep school district capital-improvement projects within budget. Examines areas where runaway costs creep into a project and ways of cutting or lessening these costs, such as using standard agreements, controlling architect's expense reimbursements, developing a quality-control process, and reducing document duplication. (GR)

Describes changes in the construction, renovation, and utilization of school buildings to accommodate several new trends in education: Technological intervention, specialized facilities, schools as the center of the community, instructional areas, unneeded excess space, leases, and build-to-suit. (PKP)

Each month, "American School & University" provides a mix of thought-provoking features, how-to-articles, industry reports, exclusive surveys, new sections, insightful columns, new product introductions and case histories to assist education officials in better performing their jobs. This December 2004 issue includes the following:…

Just when campus technologists think they've got a handle on daily campus IT needs, demands to develop smart classrooms come along and spoil everything. Between admissions officers demanding smart classrooms in order to prove to prospective families that the institution is up to speed, and professors asking for smart classrooms so that they can…

In recent years, scores of educators and designers have been won over to the view that natural light--provided by the sun instead of bulbs or tubes--is desirable and beneficial for education facilities. Studies that show students performing better in classrooms that have the right kinds of daylighting bear out the intuitive beliefs of many…