Book Review: Architecture for Education

Architecture for Education: New School Designs from the Chicago Competition edited by Robert V. Sharp, published by BPI, 2003. Paperback, 136 pages. (Amazon)



Sponsors BPI and the NEA published this book in 2002 to feature the entries for the architectural competition "Big Shoulders...Small Schools" from two years previous. Formatted as three small books bound inside a school-like folder, each piece documents a different aspect of educational design: Book 1 includes a history of school design in Chicago and the competition's background, Book 2 houses the designs with generous illustrations and explanatory text, and Book 3 has a group of essays expounding the benefits of small schools, accessibility and sustainability. As these issues take over thinking on school design, the timing of this competition and subsequent publication are that much more important: to inspire creative solutions coupled with new thinking about learning spaces.

Comments