ABSTRACT
In recent years a consensus has emerged that many school buildings do not properly serve the functions for which they were designed. School buildings are said to be made for people, yet ironically those who actually occupy or otherwise use school buildings are seldom able to influence the way in which they are designed. In fact, nearly all the important decisions are based on factors that have very little to do with the way people use school buildings or the way school buildings affect their users. Those decisions are made by administrators, public officials, builders, architects, and others, who, in most instances, do not occupy the buildings ultimately constructed. This lack of user-participation has been cited as a major reason for dissatisfaction. Yet these same users can serve as valuable sources of information in the building development process.
