gy, become subspaces that can be a "source of identity" for a student population and "that allow users to see and be seen" (35). The flexibility of buildings is vastly increased when designers make the most of the "nooks and crannies" that are often neglected by architects but utilized by students in spite of this. In order to make such spaces flexible, however, it is necessary to include the support systems that allow multiple uses, "including appropriate lighting, acoustics, power and information technology" (Loeffelman 62).
The most important aspect of design for art schools, however, is the architect's grasp of the needs of the users. Certainly it is understood that the basic need is for "spaces that efficiently support academic workplace functions," but the level of the designer's awareness of particular needs of different curricula can only be obtained with careful surveying of the needs expressed by the potential users (Calcara 35). Surprisingly, this is indeed a major problem with school design. As an official at Columbia
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