This report, and the accompanying tables, provide the findings of the 14th annual survey of College Construction prepared for "College Planning & Management" magazine. Representatives of Market Data Retrieval (MDR) sent survey forms and made follow-up telephone calls to every college in the U.S. seeking information on their…

To attract and retain students, universities are confronted with increased demand to provide housing options that meet the new expectations of the millennial generation. Recent trends and housing preferences are examined. The results of surveys detailing some of these new demands and how universities are attempting to address these demands are…

Nearly every institution is faced with the situation of having to reduce the cost of a construction project from time to time through a process generally referred to as "value engineering." Just the mention of those words, however, gives rise to all types of connotations, thoughts, and memories (usually negative) for those in the…

The 24-acre site south of Wilshire Boulevard in the Koreatown section of Los Angeles signifies different things to different people. To those with fond memories of the golden era of Hollywood glamour, the site is where starlets were discovered, some of the first Academy Award ceremonies were held, and where the Rat Pack hung out. To those…

In 2002 the Council of the Great City Schools and its members set out to develop performance measures that could be used to improve business operations in urban public school districts. The Council launched the Performance Measurement and Benchmarking Project to achieve these objectives. The purposes of the project were to: (1) Establish a common…

With unemployment rising and the public more concerned about the economy than at any other time in recent memory, the idea of a municipality deciding to spend millions of dollars to build or refurbish a school seems an uphill challenge to say the least. In the best of times, voter approval for school construction projects is difficult to get;…

Almost 73 percent of construction in 2009 was of new school buildings. New school buildings accounted for less than 60 percent of construction spending in 2010, suggesting a shift to using less abundant construction dollars to upgrade and add to existing buildings. While overall construction fell more than $1.8 billion in 2010, spending on…

Spending by states and local school districts on school construction has increased dramatically over the last decade, not only because more and higher-quality schools are being built, but also because construction costs have increased by an unprecedented degree. Many states struggle to afford the new schools needed in local communities. The…

This article reports that years of rising fuel and materials costs, compounded by current budget shortfalls and uncertainty about the marketability of construction bonds, have made school facilities directors eager to reap the benefits of President Barack Obama's economic-recovery initiative, which is slated to include federal money for building…

In 2002 the Council of the Great City Schools and its members set out to develop performance measures that could be used to improve business operations in urban public school districts. The Council launched the Performance Measurement and Benchmarking Project to achieve these objectives. The purposes of the project were to: (1) Establish a common…

This report, and accompanying tables provide the findings of the 13th annual Survey of College Construction prepared for "College Planning & Management" magazine. Representatives of Market Data Retrieval (MDR) sent survey forms and made follow-up telephone calls to every college in the U.S. seeking information on their construction…

School construction in 2009 fell 16 percent from one year ago, to just $16.4 billion, the lowest annual total for school construction since 1998. Indications are that it will fall further this year. "School Planning & Management" received reports on school construction completed and underway during 2009 and planned to start in 2010…

Building energy-efficient school facilities is not just about being "green." It is about providing high-performance facilities that are safe, healthy, and conducive to learning. It is also about building facilities that are cost-effective from their inception and in the long term. Many school districts are working under ever-tightening…

When Fayette County (Kentucky) school officials began putting together estimates for upcoming renovation projects at two elementary schools, they based their projections on their district construction projects from 2007. But by February, when construction bids were opened for the renovations of Cassidy and Russell Cave elementary schools, the…

Spending on construction by the nation's education institutions increased in 2008, reversing four years of declines in total annual expenditures, according to "American School & University"'s 35th annual Official Education Construction Report. One of the reasons for the increase in spending was the fact that the majority of the construction…