Building Powerful Learning Environments takes a close look at the trends of the Post-Digital Era through the prism of how systems of education can meet the needs of our times and offers a systemic approach to creating a different canvas for learning that aligns to these changes. At the center of the book are the concepts of a learning environment and a culture of partnerships. A learning environment has traditionally been viewed as something that educators created and sustained inside their schools. Building Powerful Learning Environments expands this understanding to embrace families, communities, other learning institutions, and businesses not as helpers, but as co-builders of a powerful learning environment. It demonstrates that schools have to take the first step in this direction by becoming the center of a new educational culture - a culture of partnerships. This book looks into various ways of creating this culture at district, school, and classroom levels. It provides practical guidance, strategies, and tips as well as some conceptual understanding of what can be done to create and support this culture at various levels of educational leadership.

Therapeutic architecture can be described as the people-centered, evidence-based discipline of the built environment, which aims to identify and support ways of incorporating those spatial elements that interact with people physiologically and psychologically into design. Architecture is an important factor in people's lives when they are well; when they experience ill-health and are less able to cope it becomes even more important. This book explores the design of specialized residential architecture for people with mental health problems. It sets out to show how building design can support medical and health related procedures and practices, leading to better therapeutic outcomes and an enhanced quality of life. Based on almost two decades of research, it aims to understand how architectural design interacts with the therapeutic milieu, the care programs, and actually living in the spaces. The book is divided into two main parts covering theory and research. Part one consists of three chapters: a brief introduction to old practices, current medical psychosocial and architectural thinking, and alternative thinking. Part two explores the research and conclusions derived from fieldwork. This book provides a fascinating insight into the effect that architectural design can have on all of us, but particularly on those with mental health problems. "Dr. Evangelia Chrysikou explains the many aspects of mental health and its relation to the quality of the built environment and I strongly recommend this very enjoyable book to anyone who would like to find out more about this important topic." - Prof. Alan Dilani, Ph.D. , International Academy for Design and Health "This book provides important, evidence-based data that will help to drive the design of new and refurbished psychiatric facilities and will no doubt become a highly-regarded resource for medical planners and architects." - Jo Makosinski , Editor, Building Better Healthcare

Showcases 45 recent buildings designed for challenging environments, giving valuable insights into the extremes of architectural thinking. Futhermore, in an increasingly unstable world, some of the lessons they teach about self-sufficiency may yet become more generally applicable.

What really constitutes an architectural atmosphere," Peter Zumthor says, is this singular density and mood, this feeling of presence, well-being, harmony, beauty ... under whose spell I experience what I otherwise would not experience in precisely this way." Zumthor's passion is the creation of buildings that produce this kind of effect, but how can one actually set out to achieve it? In nine short, illustrated chapters framed as a process of self-observation, Peter Zumthor describes what he has on his mind as he sets about creating the atmosphere of his houses. Images of spaces and buildings that affect him are every bit as important as particular pieces of music or books that inspire him. From the composition and presence" of the materials to the handling of proportions and the effect of light, this poetics of architecture enables the reader to recapitulate what really matters in the process of house design.

Brazil, Russia, India, and China (BRIC) are among the largest and fastest-growing economies in the world. The enormous size of the customer base in these emerging markets is the strategic concern of global business firms. Successful market performance in these markets requires sound understanding of dynamic environmental factors and timely investme

This well-illustrated 'think piece' provides a much needed and topical philosophical introduction to the place of environmental design in architecture. Written by highly respected authors, this is an excellent guide for practitioners, students and academics.

Teachers are bombarded with trends and competing ideas. This book provides a framework to help you find the right balance between new and old instructional practices, so you can design learning environments that truly enhance learning. The author shares key research-based principles to engage and extend learning, and he debunks common myths. He then shows how to use a classical method and how to engage with new ideas and evidence to create a highly effective learning environment. Each chapter offers reflection and application questions you can use independently or in book studies to get the most out of your reading. Written for teachers of any grade level, the book contains applications and examples across content areas so you can see how to implement the ideas in your own classroom or school.