The Italian government and regions are preparing to approve new legislation in the field of educational building. The main topics being discussed and analysed are: quality; technological innovation; multi-functionality; resources.

The eruption of violence in society is a natural phenomenon; its rise or fall depends on complex, interrelated social processes. The same applies to violence on school premises, any study of which must address the individual characteristics of young people who perpetrate violence and the...

Developed below is a selection of the ideas and case studies presented at the conference on “Planning, Designing and Managing Higher Education Institutions”, in San José, California (United States): Megatrends and myths which influence facilities management practices. The technology-enabled...

In 2005, the OECD Programme on Educational Building (PEB) organised two international experts’ group meetings to discuss how countries define and evaluate quality in educational facilities. The research and experiences of six experts are presented in this article, in addition to the lessons...

Some 80 earthquake specialists, architects, engineers and civil servants from a dozen countries met to discuss the different relationships which may occur between educational facilities and natural disasters; the emphasis was on the implications and effects of earthquakes and the appropriate...

Applying CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) strategies to schools can significantly contribute to a safer learning environment by influencing the behaviour of students and visitors. CPTED has three overlapping primary concepts that are intended to reduce opportunities for...

The French government set up in 1995 the <i>Observatoire national de la sécurité des établissements scolaires et d'enseignement supérieur</i>, a national agency for safety in schools and higher education, bringing together the public owners of school buildings, representatives of staff and parents...

PEB and the Ministry of Education of Portugal brought together 67 library and resource centre professionals, policy makers, educators and information technology specialists from 21 countries around the theme “Designing Schools for the Information Society: Libraries and Resource Centres”. The...

The design of this flexible school for early childhood education in Milan, Italy, takes into account children’s development and the different ways they experience space according to their age. The facilities will include not only a nursery school and kindergarten, but also a drop-in day-care...

The restoration of an historic school building in Battipaglia, Italy, will provide new public facilities and is hoped to boost urban renewal. The municipality of Battipaglia, in the province of Salerno, held an architectural competition for renovating the E. De Amicis Primary School and the...