Ingenuity!

Box Pavilion

I came across this rather interesting construction by architecture students in Germany. See the link for more photos.  I am not sure if those are beer cases or milk cases but given it's in Germany, beer seems likely. Yet another example of creativity combined with powerful graphic tools that help us realize our conceptions.

Cool Schools

Orestad College (High School)

Here is a very innovative high school that was part of a presentation I gave at the Washington State Chapter CEFPI Conference in June of 2010.  This Danish school has an innovative building with an innovative organization.  It was the result of a design competition.

Introducing School Design Matters

I am starting the Blog: "School Design Matters" to further the discussion of what school design can do to enhance teaching and learning.  I am an architect and  planner who has been planning and designing schools for the last 25 years.  Over that time I have seen the design quality of schools improve significantly, while planning concepts for schools have hardly changed at all.   Now I am focused on thinking and writing about the forces that prevent change, and also those that may drive change in the future.  I hope you will comment on what you see here and become engaged in a discussion that raises awareness about how school environments affect learning.