Discusses the importance of acoustic standards in classroom design, presenting an interview with the Acoustical Society of America's (ASA's) standards manager which focuses on reasons for the new ASA standards, the standards document (which was written for K-12 classroom but applies to college classrooms), the need to avoid echo and be able to…

Presents a selection of winners of the Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA) and Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) school architecture competition. Includes a brief description, floor plan, and photographs for each winner. (EV)

Outlines a selection process for school districts seeking to hire an architect. Discussing choosing the selectors, questions the district should ask itself, the interview, and checking references. (EV)

Discusses data from an annual survey of residence hall construction, including the fact that while the total cost and overall size of newly constructed housing facilities remained steady compared with last year's survey, the cost and square footage per resident dropped considerably. Also discusses the focus on amenities in construction. (EV)

Describes potential benefits of four alternative project-delivery methods for school construction, renovation, and maintenance: construction manager-at-risk (CMAR), design-build (DB), design-bid-build (DBB), and job-order contracting (JOC). Compares CMAR, DBB, and DB for construction cost, schedule, and quality. (PKP)

Using architectural experiences at the University of California at Irvine and the California Institute of Technology, explores "place-making" as indispensable to both the planning process and the architectural design of individual buildings. (EV)

Describes the award-winning design of three school landscapes. Includes construction details and photographs. (EV)

Using the example of the construction of Fond du Lac High School in Wisconsin, discusses how multi-layer reviews of facility plans and drawings by staff members and the community help ensure a positive outcome. (EV)

Reveals how one Chicago school district was able to build a new elementary school a full two and one-half years before a traditional funding process would have allowed it. Examines a planning process that included using the Council of Educational Facility Planners, International guidelines for developing a business plan, partnering with needed…

Provides the historical background and process towards decentralization of Mexico's Administrative Board of the Federal School Construction Programme (CAPFCE), a decentralization that transfers responsibility for educational building to Mexico's 32 states. Lists key points of the decentralization agreement and explains the new role of the CAPFCE.…

Describes the planning of, and community and staff reaction toward, a four-dome, K-12 school complex in a Missouri rural community. The efficiency of the school's design and layout are discussed. (GR)

Examines the Virginia Tech (Blacksburg) building boom that has made up for the shortcomings in outdated facilities while preserving the best of existing building traditions. Details of several building designs are provided, including information on the architectural firms involved. (GR)

Reveals how a Florida school district had success when switching from a design-bid-build approach for school construction to a construction management (CM) at risk. The CM at risk process involving project delivery options, maximum price guarantees, and the school district's benefits in cost savings accrued are addressed. (GR)

Discusses the problems school construction projects face during building and maintenance efforts over the summer. Issues involving planning, the use of teamwork, community concerns, child safety, and surprises that cannot be thoroughly accounted for in the pre- construction phase are addressed. (GR)

Examines why school building plans get modified, how it affects the new school, and what can be done to plan for it. The role of the architect in managing change and use of a contingency fund are discussed as are the five types of changes that can happen and how they should be paid for. (GR)