ABSTRACT
The design of learning centres draws on the experience of department stores, leisure centres and civic buildings as well as libraries. Certainly, there are echoes of the grand Victorian department stores in the sense of vertical and horizontal space in many learning centre buildings. Experience of learning centres so far suggests that the initial focus on efficiency gains may be misplaced, and that their real impact is on learning effectiveness. In staffing as much as in learning environments, flexibility is likely to be the key factor in meeting the challenges facing educational institutions. Virtual learning environments are developing at a fast pace. Virtual learning environments are opening up new territory. The Internet and networked learning will increasingly be regarded as an alternative for building projects in the future. Flexible work areas and mobile-tolerant zones are the way forward for many institutions and it may be the Internet cafe that provides an additional model for the future.
