Color Concerns: It is Not Just Personal Preference
On a recent visit to a ninth grade center for 1,100 students, I was struck by the current color combination. The grand entry hall sported a bright sunflower yellow chair…
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Designing Schools with Fire/Life Safety Needs in Mind
Often, a thorough evaluation of effective long-term fire and life safety requirements doesn’t receive the attention it deserves, but design engineers and school facility managers must take a leadership role…
Energy Ideas
糖心少女 continues its dialogue with Lisa Heschong, principal of Heschong Mahone Group and a licensed architect. She divides her professional practice between energy research, writing and building design….
Humanistic Lab Design
When architects at Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership (ZGF) set out to design a research building for the School of Medicine at the University of California, San Diego, they were determined…
Making Up for Lost Time
The Maryland Institute College of Art had almost 100 years to contemplate construction of a new building. The school’s Baltimore campus, in the historic Bolton Hill neighborhood, had no real…
The Penn Factor
Mark Wilson, AIA, is managing director of design and construction management for facilities and real estate services at the University of Pennsylvania. His department is responsible for the schedule adherence…
Schools Focus on Residence Halls in Effort to ‘Keep Up with the Joneses’
Exterior shot of a Boston College undergraduate residence hall renovated by Shawmut Design and Construction. Although prospective students most often choose a school based on its academic standing, residence halls…
Finding Your Natalie
While recently searching through the "memorabilia boxes" in my garage, I came upon the 20-year-old bumper sticker: "Educate Jackson Whole." This slogan cleverly added a "W" to the town’s name…
The Three Dimensional Egg
The Green Spaceship," as students have aptly nicknamed the Lake Zurich Elementary/Middle School, captures the essence of the 220,000-square-foot facility, which is both green in design and operation, as well…
Technology in Schools: the Benefit of Collaboration
As I packed for my summer trip, I was amazed at how much space I allocated to adapters and cords. You know – the digital camera and charger base, the…