•THREE ATCB- F-QyRRGQM' SGHQQL B1OTLOINGS ' '\Y/ho would not rather do one living deed than to have his ashes forever en- shrined in ever-burnished gold? Sir, I trust that when we come to act on this question, we shall take lofty ground — look beyond the narrow space which now circumscribes our vision — beyond the passing, fleeting point of time on which we stand — and so cast our votes that the blessing of education shall be conferred on every son of Pennsylvania — shall be carried home to the poorest child of the poorest inhabitant of the meanest hut of your mountains, so that even he may be prepared to act well his part in this land of freedom, and lay on earth a broad and a solid foundation for that enduring knowledge which goes on increasing through increasing eternity." — From speech of Thaddeus Stevens. COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA BULLETIN OF One, Two, Three and Four Room SCHOOL BUILDINGS ISSUED BY THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION MEMBERS OF BOARD MARTIN G. BRUMBAUGH, PHILADELPHIA DAVID B. OLIVER, PITTSBURGH GEORGE M. PHILIPS, WEST CHESTER JOHN S. RILLING, ERIE WILLIAM LAUDER, RIDDLESBURGH JAMES M. COUGHLIN. WILKES- BARRE NATHAN C. SCHAEFFER, HARRISBURG OFFICERS NATHAN C. SCHAEFFER, PRESIDENT H. C. RICHARDS, SUPERVISING ARCHITECT DAVID B. OLIVER, VICE PRESIDENT M. I. KAST, ASSISTANT ARCHITECT J. E. B. CUNNINGHAM, SOLICITOR EXECUTIVE SECRETARY J. GEORGE BECHT, HARRISBURG CLERKS AND STENOGRAPHERS EDNA M. KUGLER FRIEDA MYLECRAINE HARRISBURG, PA.: Wii. Stanley Ray. State Printer 1915 FOREWORD. The purpose of this bulletin is to present to boards of directors suggestive standard plans and limited specifications for the construction of one,, two, three and four room school buildings. With the present limited organization it is impossible to arrange for the details and specifications of the larger type of new buildings or for the re-arrangement or re-adjustment of old ones. These are still matters for the attention of the local boards. They will employ an architect to prepare the plans and specifications and, after they are thus prepared, will submit them to the Architect of the State Board of Education who will pass upon them. Standard plans supplied by the State Board of Education may be changed to suit local needs but before any legal contract can be made such changes must be submitted to the State Board of Education. People living in rural and suburban districts are demanding that the school houses shall be made more comfortable and shall be better adapted for good school work. Time is wasted and energy dissipated when school children are crowded in buildings constructed without regard to sanitary and hygienic requirements. The School Code specifically requires that school houses built hereafter must conform to the modern principles of lighting, heating, ventilating and physical activity. An attractive school house surrounded by large and well-kept school grounds is the best public asset in any community. The day of the barn-like structure is passing rapidly. A substantially built school house designed to meet the needs and purposes of the children, with due regard for modest artistic effects of grace and beauty, will profoundly influence the whole community life. Such a building costs but little, if any, more than the severely plain, uninteresting and uninviting school house of the "olden time." To aid directors in considering the elementary questions involved in school house con- struction this bulletin is issued under the direction and by authority of the State Board of Education. LOCATION AND GROUNDS. The location and amount of any real estate required by any school district for school purposes is determined by the board of school directors of the district ; but the Code makes special provision that hereafter no new school building shall be erected without a proper play- ground being provided therefor. In this connection, four things ought to be taken into account and carefully considered when a new school house is to be built: (1) size of ground, (2) acces- sibility of the site, (3) nature of the soil, (4) remoteness from railroads, busy thoroughfares and noisy factories. An acre of ground and more, if possible, ought to be set apart for school purposes. The larger plot will give ample room for recreation and also furnish opportunity for laying out' flower beds and school gardens. Generally, the site ought to be near the center of school population and easily accessible for the greatest number of children; yet this one fact should not out-weight all other con- sideration. A large area of good, healthful soil away from distracting influences will add materially to the health, comfort and welfare of the pupils and these advantages will more than compensate for the possible inconvenience that some pupils may experience in walking an additional distance. (4) V; of D. OCT ; - me R A The soil on which the building is to stand ought to be as free from moisture as possible. A marshy school ground is a serious menace to the health of the children. From the view point of good sanitation, a dry, gravelly, sandy soil furnishes the best location. It is worse than a blunder to expose children to the blighting influences of an infected soil. Usually in rural districts and in the villages, the annoyances from thoroughfare and factory are regarded as inconsiderable. Yet even here the rattle of vehicles passing on the highway, the shriek of the train and the whir and rumble of machinery in the nearby mill or factory are very distracting and visibly affect the nervous system of the child. The beauty and attractiveness of the school ground will be greatly enhanced if trees surround it; and if in addition a neatly trimmed and well-kept hedge encircles it, there will be an effective example to arouse and stimulate the civic and personal pride and the aesthetic sense of the whole community. In almost every part of Pennsylvania the native pine, spruce or hemlock will lend itself t'o this adornment. The efforts of the pupils may be enlisted in beautifying the school surroundings by giving them an opportunity to assist in planting the trees and hedges and in caring for them. In this way Arbor Days may be given special sig- nificance. The best school work can be accomplished where the best physical conditions prevail. LOCATION ON PLOT. The selection of the school site is important but not less so is the location and adjustment of the building to the shape and size of the plot. Assuming the area to be one acre, it should measure according to standard form 10 rods by 16 rods with the short side front. Relatively proportionate measurements will obtain when the plot is larger or smaller. It is impossible to lay down hard and fast rules in regard to such matters, since the surroundings vary so widely and these must always be taken into account. To secure the best light, the windows of the school room ought to face toward the east or west. They may also face toward the south, if by means of proper curtains the direct' rays of the sun are softened so that the eyes of the pupils are not dazzled and irritated. Every school room ought to have direct sunlight during some period of the day to keep it healthful and wholesome. Sunlight is the great germ destroyer. An eastern or western exposure gives this for a part of the day but the southern exposure, while giving the full day of sunshine, is sure to affect the eyes of the children, if not properly controlled, because of the bright rays that dazzle and disturb their sight. Even with proper shades or blinds, great care must be exercised in regulating the light coming from a southern exposure. FLOOR AND AIR SPACE. The Code requirement is that "every school room shall have not less than fifteen square feet of floor space and not less than two hundred cubic feet of air space per pupil." The size of the room ought to be such as to accommodate approximately 40 pupils in single seats and leave sufficient space for aisles, teacher's desk, reading tables or any other regularly used furniture. A room to fulfill these requirements will measure 24x32x13. A slight variation of these dimen- sions may be necessary to suit local conditions. These measurements conform to the "normal requirements for vision, hearing and depth to which light will carry." Pupils of normal hearing sitting in the rear part of the room will be able to hear distinctly the teacher who speaks in moderately forceful natural tones. This is of great advantage to teacher and pupil. It relieves both of strain and fatigue. In considering the floor space of a building, the matter of cloak rooms, vestibules, library and fuel room ought to receive careful attention. These are essential elements in the planning of any school building of whatever size or material. Separate cloak rooms for boys and girls should be arranged. They should be provided with hooks for the hats, cloaks and coats, and shelves for the dinner baskets. The doors of the cloak rooms should open into the main room. To have them open only into the vestibule adds considerably to the problem of discipline. It is especially important to keep the cloak rooms in a sanitary condition. To that end ample light and ventilation should be provided. A small room for library and storage purposes has come to be one of the most useful agencies of the rural school. With very little additional expense such a room may be provided with books, book cases, reference works, a table and a few chairs. This will give a place for the older pupils to study when they have special work to prepare. The library room is an in- dispensible part of the modern country school house. A fuel room or fuel basement should also be included in the plans. It will cost less than a separate coal house and will add greatly to the convenience of the school plant. LIGHT. Special attention is called to the requirements of the Code governing the question of light area and floor space. "In every school room the total light area must equal at least twenty per centum of the floor space, and the light shall not be admitted from the front of the seated pupils." The best light is obtained when the windows are placed on the left side of the room only and toward the rear. By this arrangement cross lights are prevented and the eyes of the pupils are relieved from the necessity of continual readjustment to the unequal sources of light. Windows should be placed as near together as possible and thus avoid the shadows thrown by intervening wall space. Unfortunately, the value of uni-lateral or one-side lighting is not yet well understood and appreciated. But scientific, practical demonstration proves beyond a doubt that uni-lateral lighting gives the best results in rooms when the pupil seated farthest from the window is not distant more than twice the height of the top of the window from the floor. The window sill should be from 3-|- to 4 feet above the floor and the top of the window should reach as near to the ceiling as possible. The light of the room is largely modified by the amount of blackboard space and the color of the walls. Blackboards absorb much of the light and on dark days affect, very materially, lighting conditions. The glaring white walls found in so many school rooms are equally bad in their effect upon the pupils' eyes. The most satisfactory suggestions relating to the tinting of the walls come from a report made to the school board of New York City by a committee of the best- known oculists of the city. According to this report, the lower portions of the room should be a light brown. The walls should be a light buffi tint or a light gray and the ceiling should be of ivory white. The effect of this combination of tints is very restful and cheerful. Green, which was formerly supposed to be a good school room color for shades and tinting, is shown by experi- ment and demonstration to be a very troublesome one. Light-colored wood should be selected for the furniture and furnishings and the wood work should not be highly polished. Natural finish with a dull surface is best. A PROPER PLAYGROUND. A proper playground should be well drained ; be easily accessible to pupils ; fairly level ; properly surfaced. A natural sanded surface seems to meet ordinary requirements. A sandy loam properly underdrained or a sand covered clay will be found to give good service as play surfaces. Cinders, gravel and broken stone offer many objections for surfacing purposes. Man- ufactured surfaces, such as brick, cement and asphalt, are too unyielding to be considered good for play purposes. Torpedo gravel and dust macadam make fairly satisfactory surfacing. Grass plots are highly desirable for play but they can only be maintained in the country where large spaces for school grounds are available. There are hundreds of school playgrounds in Penn- sylvania that could be made more attractive and useful by the expenditure of a very little thought, time and money. While the equipment is important, the space for free play is of greater importance. If ready made apparatus encumbers the ground, the opportunities for mass plays and spontaneous games are limited. Plays are of greater consequence than apparatus. The amount of play space per pupil ought never to be less than 30 square feet. It will be observed that this provides small space for actual play, though it gives room for freedom of movement. A school ground that affords 100 square feet per pupil offers opportunities for free play and this should be the minimum. In rural communities there should never be less than one acre. It will be all the better if a larger area can be secured. Two acres, or even four acres, can be profitably utilized for baseball, tennis and croquet, and a portion of the area may be set apart for school gardens. A proper playground needs t'o be properly supervised. If a special supervisor is not pro- vided for the play periods, then provision must be made to have the teacher attend to these activities. Public sentiment has been aroused in behalf of the movement in a very marked degree. In some of the cities independent organizations are furnishing the means for equipping and carry- ing on playground activities. Parents and teachers realize that clean, well kept, beautiful sur- roundings profoundly influence moral and intellectual growth. SCHOOL HOUSE CONSTRUCTION. Code Requirements. The board of school directors of each district shall provide the necessary grounds and suitable school buildings to accommodate all the children between the ages of six and twenty-one years, in said district, who attend school. Such buildings shall be constructed, furnished, equipped and maintained in a proper manner as herein provided, suitable provisions being made for the heating, ventilating and sanitary conditions thereof, so that every pupil in any such building may have proper and healthful accommodations. The code specifically points out that no new school building shall be contracted for, con- structed, or reconstructed in any school district of the second, third, or fourth class until their plans and specifications have teen submitted to the State Board of Education and any recom- mendations concerning the same have teen laid before the board of school directors. BUILDING REQUIREMENTS. Floor Space, Air Space, Light. All school buildings hereafter built or rebuilt shall comply with the following conditions : In every school room the total light area must equal at least twenty per cent, of the floor space and the light shall not be admitted thereto from the front of seated pupils. Every school room shall have not less than 15 square feet of floor space and not less than 200 cubic feet of air space per pupil. Heat and Ventilation. No board of school directors in this Commonwealth shall use a common heating stove for the purpose of heating any school room unless such stove is in part enclosed within a shield or jacket made of galvanized iron or other suitable material and of sufficient height and so placed as to protect all pupils while seated at their desks from direct rays of heat. No school room or recitation room shall be used in any public school which is not pro- vided with ample means of ventilation and whose windows, when they are the only means of ventilation, shall not admit of ready adjustment both at the top and bottom and which does not have some device to protect pupils from direct currents of cold air. Every school room shall be furnished with a thermometer. Every school room hereafter erected or constructed, whose cost shall exceed $4,000.00, or which is more than one story high, shall be so heated and ventilated that each school room and recitation room shall be supplied with fresh air at the rate of not less than 30 cubic feet per minute for each pupil and which air may be heated to an average temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit during zero weather. Fire Protection. All school buildings two or more stories high hereafter erected or leased in any school dis- trict of the first class shall be of fire-proof construction ; and in any district of the second, third, or fourth class every building more than two stories high hereafter built or leased for school purposes shall be of fireproof construction. All doors of entrance into any building more than one story high, used for a public school building in this Commonwealth, shall be made to open outward. In all school buildings more than one story high, all entrance doors as well as all doors from class rooms, school rooms, cloak rooms, or other rooms into halls, shall open outward. Every school building shall be provided with necessary fire escapes and safety appliances as required by law. The board of school directors in each school district shall put the grounds about every school building in a neat, proper and sanitary condition and so maintain the same, and shall pro- vide and maintain a proper number of shade trees. Construction and Care of Toilets. The board of school directors in every district shall, with every building used for school purposes, provide and maintain in a proper manner a suitable number of water closets or out- houses, not less than two for each building where both sexes are in attendance. Such water closets or outhouses shall be suitably constructed for, and used separately by, the sexes. When any water closets or outhouses are outside and detached from the school building, the entrances thereto shall be properly screened, and they shall, unless constructed at a remote distance from each other, have separate means of access thereto, and, if possible, for not less than twenty-five feet from such water closets or outhouses, such means of access or walks leading thereto shall be separated by a closed partition, wall, or fence, not' less than seven feet high. The board of school directors shall keep all water closets or outhouses, used in connection with any school building, in a clean and sanitary condition, and shall, not less than ten days prior to the openings of any term of school, and oft'ener if necessary, have them properly cleaned and disinfected by the use of fresh dry-slacked lime, or other proper disinfecting material. Social Uses of Grounds and Buildings. The board of school directors of any district may permit the use of its school grounds and buildings for social, recreation, and other proper purposes, under such rules and regulations as the board may adopt. Any board of school directors may make such arrangements as it may see proper with any association or individual for the temporary use of school property for schools, playgrounds, re- creation, or other educational purposes. Condemnation of Buildings. The State Superintendent shall have power to condemn as unfit for use, or on account of unsanitary or other improper conditions, any school building, school site, or outbuilding, in this Commonwealth, and upon failure of the board of school directors to remedy such conditions, he shall have power to withhold or declare forfeited all or any part 1 of the annual appropriation ap- proportioned to any such school district. Standard Plans for Buildings The State Board of Education has available for distribution standard plans of one, two, three and four-room buildings which embody the latest and best thought in school house con- struction. In planning these the architect has kept in mind the requirements of the code, namely : sufficient light, floor space, air space, and proper heat and ventilation; vestibules and cloak rooms have been provided and wall spaces are available for plenty of blackboard surface. Suggestions relative to tinting the walls and ceiling and the painting of the woodwork are indicated in the specifications. If requisition is made upon the State Board of Education for any of these plans, blue prints covering the detailed drawings for building will be forwarded. If the proposed building is erected in accordance with the plans furnished, the board may proceed without further approval. In case the plans are used as a basis upon which other plans are formulated, then such changed plans together with the changed specifications shall be submitted in duplicate to the State Board of Education before contract is awarded. Plans for Large Buildings. It is clearly impossible for the State Board of Education to furnish detailed plans and specifications for buildings beyond a four-room capacity. To do so would require a force of architects that could not be maintained within the limits of the ordinary appropriation made to the State Board of Education. Moreover, standard plans of the larger buildings rarely, if ever, fit the conditions peculiar to a particular locality and environment. To get the most satisfactory plan, the architect must study the site in relation to the surrounding buildings and must know definitely what special features are to be incorporated in the plans. Furthermore, the architect 10 employed under these circumstances is expected to make frequent inspections while the work of construction is in progress to see that the terms of the contract are fully complied with. After the architect has been selected, it is advisable to submit the preliminary sketches to the State Board of Education so that if any changes are recommended they can be incorporated in the finished prints and specifications. The law specifically states that no contract shall be awarded until the plans and specifications have teen submitted to the State Board of Education and any recommendations concerning the same by the State Board of Education have been laid before the board of school directors. Building Hints. The best lighting is secured when windows are placed on the left of the seated pupils or on the left and rear. Lighting on opposite sides of the room results in cross lighting and uneven distribution which is injurious to the eyes. As the best light comes from above, the windows should reach as near to the ceiling as the safety of the structure will permit. The window shades should be neutral gray in color, large enough so that rays of light cannot enter at the sides, and two shades to each window fastened in the center of the sash. By such an arrangement the shades can be pulled either up or down and light admitted from above or below. Floors should be double — especially in rural schools. This will prevent pupils from having cold feet and will be a means of saving heat. Building paper or felt should be placed between the floors. Wall space should be conserved so as to provide plenty of blackboard surface. The color scheme for interiors should receive careful thought and attention. Pupils are profoundly affected by colors. The sides should ,be neutral gray or light buff. Glaring white walls are a positive injury to sight, and colors having an excess of blue or green make the room cold and cheerless. An ivory white ceiling makes a good reflecting surface. Plans submitted to the State Board of Education for approval should show definite meas- urements and details — floor areas, story heights, lighting area, heating and ventilating, exact location of stairways, cloak rooms, etc. 11 The following suggestive one, two, three and four-room plans are for the use of boards of school directors. If requisition is made upon the State Board of Education for any one of these plans, blue prints covering the detailed drawings for building will be forwarded. If the proposed building is erected in accordance with the plans furnished, boards may proceed without further approval. In case the plans are used as a basis upon which other plans are formulated, then such changed plans together with the changed specifications shall be submitted in duplicate to the State Board of Education before contract is awarded. Floor plans and elevations may be varied to suit local needs. It is believed that the following designs combine the maximum of comfort, convenience, economy and attractiveness. THE COUNTRY SCHOOL PLANT OP THE FUTURE. A Mills's Fftu/r HAfitAHS IA/?M VA/py fAfiM JOA/fSS MAlHtET GARDEN /SOS CULTI- VATED CROP isio CULTI- VATED CROP tail CULTI- VATED CROP FIELD ROAO <£ ■& <& $ PUBLIC ROAO Such a school plant will furnish opportunities for training boys and girls in real life activities. It will create a good social and industrial atmosphere and promote appreciation of country life. Standard One Room Plans (13) 15 •M-J-KAST' ARCHITECT TYPE A. No. 7. TYPE A. No. 7. 16 -TYPE-A-NO-8- •M-I-KAST- -A-E.CH1TE.CT' TYPE A. No TYPE A. No. 17 TYPE A. No. 1. TYPE A. No. 1. TYPE A. No. 2. 19 H~yCM 00 L > f- 5CALE I i i i i i Blue Prints Furnished by the Pennsylvania State Board of Education. 66 • EMD- ELEVATION • l . l ,. l i ^^ '-wm m •REAR- ELEVATION • i I, i, i 1 1, i i . . . ... , I, I . I Ml II 'I II m II j I l" l I I I i i I ii riii •EBONT-ELEVATION- HEAVY GALVANIZED WlT£r MESH WITHCOPPEE. fLY 5CP.EEM, BACK •EHD -ELEVATION • •PLAN -SECTIONS •&■ "ELEVATIONS- •WAT&&- CLP/tVT- ro~jCtt 00 Lf- SCALE I I I M l Blue Prints furnished by the Pennsylvania State Board of Education. 67 A battery of Waterbury Sanitary Closets installed in a school toilet an old building may be sectioned off for the purpose. Courtesy of the Waterman-Watcrbury Company, Minneapolis. Minn. Any vacant space, sufficiently private, Courtesy of the Kaustinc Company. Incorporated, Buffalo. .Y. T. Courtcsii of the V'es' Disinfect inn Company. New York City, N. T. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS HBHHBn 029 452 362 5