In this article, the author talks about legibility as an essential component of education facility design. Legibility is concerned not only with stylistic consistency, but also with other design factors that help make a building understandable. Reconfigured interiors and multiple additions can create confusing paths. Illogical assortments of…

School security is a national concern. Throughout the country, youth crime and violence threaten to undermine the safety of American students' learning environment. This handbook is the product of a joint effort of the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) and DynCorp to help educators develop plans for reducing violence in…

This book offers and examines a number of suggestions for school architecture. The book consists of a review of 22 school projects from around the United States. The text opens with a brief history of school design in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, but the focus throughout the book focuses on several distinct elements: designing schools…

An examination was made of five major campus fires between 1971 and 1983 in an attempt to better understand the fire hazards associated with the operation of a modern U.S. college or university campus. Overall research revealed a general lack of interest in campus fire safety by colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. Analysis…

This unit focuses on Thomas Jefferson's route from his home at Monticello in Virginia to the White House when he traveled to Washington in November of 1800 for the upcoming presidential election. The document traces his journey by phaeton, a four wheeled light carriage, from Monticello to: (1) James Madison's home at Montpelier, a distance of 28…

This paper discusses a "language lab" strategy in which traditional studio learning may be supplemented by language lessons using computer graphics techniques to teach architectural grammar, a body of elements and principles that govern the design of buildings belonging to a particular architectural theory or style. Two methods of…

This upper-elementary level social studies curriculum guide is designed to: (1) teach students to understand and appreciate the built (man made) environment; (2) instruct students about Georgia's history and heritage; and (3) introduce the basic concepts of historic preservation. The unit highlights 10 architectural styles of the homes of famous…

Intrinsically safe design is presented as a logical extension of the principles of barrier free design, and as a higher level design strategy for effecting widespread implementation of the basic accessibility requirements for people with disabilities. Two fundamental planning procedures are proposed: including principles of safe and accessible…

Developed for use in library building projects--whether they involve remodeling, expanding, or erecting a new structure--this handbook discusses the roles of the library administrator, the board, the librarian, the architect, the library building consultant, the interior designer, the building contractor, and others. It also addresses the major…

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) became involved in the problem of homelessness through the establishment of the Search for Shelter program, a collaboration with several other architectural organizations. The program, led by the AIA Housing Committee, sought solutions to the housing crisis through a series of workshops held around the…

The premise used in the development of the Townview Center for the Dallas Independent School District (Texas) is: What actually goes on inside a high school of the future is more important than what the school building will look like. The school's concept includes the housing of various magnet programs at one site. The architect is challenged to…

The current emphasis on energy conservation in buildings must be balanced by a careful consideration of how proposed approaches affect building occupants. A headlong rush toward building designs that conserve energy at the expense of the quality of buildings as judged by occupants would be a very shortsighted approach. There must be a continual…

This report describes a 3-year project which used local architecture as a resource for teaching the arts and humanities at the secondary level. The project involved 24 Massachusetts high school teachers in art, social studies, industrial arts, and the language arts working with project staff. The teachers attended two week-long summer courses.…

In this book, the many factors necessary to make city spaces more child-sensitive are considered. Particular attention is given to dwellings and play spaces. Child development as it relates to the spatial environment and the child's use of various spaces (houses, apartments, service areas, playgrounds) at different ages are investigated. The…