What is the Prototype School Design Clearinghouse?
The 1996 Legislature established a study committee to develop ways to improve the school design delivery system. It was observed that large school systems and architects working in more than one school system often repeated recent successful school designs to save both time and costs. As a result, a recommendation was made to establish a clearinghouse of recent school designs built in North Carolina. The Legislature directed the State Board of Education to establish a central clearinghouse for access by local boards of education that may want to use a prototype design in the construction of school facilities. This system is expected to result in cost and time savings in school design; provide broader access to architects that specialize in school design; and increase awareness of current trends in school design. The clearinghouse is in operation on the Internet and is continuously updated. The designs of twenty-five new schools are now available. Floor plans, site plans, photographs, a
