Building Excellence
News and information to help school and district leaders as they plan, design, construct, and equip leading-edge facilities.
Anatomy of a school construction project
Before a ribbon is sliced by comically oversized scissors, before a brick is laid or an architect is chosen, before voters approve funding for a sparkling new school…
’21st-century schoolhouse’ saves money, improves efficiency
At first glance, it isn't the cost savings people notice about the Grand Meadow Schools in Minnesota, it's the unique and very different construction featuring its five domes.…
Schools moving away from hallway lockers
Lockers have served as a symbol of the American high school for decades, but with new technology--eBooks, interactive assignments, and web-based learning--they're gradually becoming a thing of the…
New classroom furniture facilitates 21st-century instruction
Those bland, standalone classroom desks arranged in neat rows could become a relic of the past, replaced by stylish tables and chairs with built-in power sources and wireless…
New federal program promotes ‘green’ school policies
As the "green" movement sweeps across the nation, prompting citizens to buy organic produce and reduce their energy consumption, schools are following suit with lesson plans that teach…
New program brings solar panels, and education, to schools
With energy efficiency becoming a universal concern, it seems natural that the conversation should move to schools. Johnson Controls’ Solar for Schools program brings the focus to the…
What’s more important: School buildings or the teachers who fill them?
A new public school building in Los Angeles that cost more than $500 million to build--at a time when the city has laid off more than 3,000 teachers…
Solar power making a comeback among schools
Web surfers requesting a Google Earth view of the Athenian School in Danville, Calif., are greeted with an image of what school officials call the "solar A"—a mass…
Green school buildings making a surge
School systems nationwide are beginning to realize the benefits of "going green" when building new schools, according to experts who follow school construction trends. Though the initial building…
Eight key school-design recommendations
The National Summit on School Design, convened by the American Architectural Foundation and Knowledge-Works Foundation, recently brought more than 200 participants from around the country to Washington, D.C.…