Here's a look at one of the standout projects from Designs of the Year 2014 - a floating school on a Nigerian lagoon by architecture studio NLÉ (+ slideshow). More about NLE's floating school casts anchor in Lagos Lagoon
British studio Jonathan Tuckey Design worked with a small team and a tight budget to build this timber-lined gatehouse for a west London primary school. More about School gatehouse built on a strict budget by Jonathan Tuckey Design
Dutch firm Korteknie Stuhlmacher Architecten covered the facade of this school in Rotterdam with black and white tiles arranged in patterns that reference typical Dutch interior decoration (+ slideshow). More about Rotterdam school decorated with tiles based on traditional Dutch patterns
A skin of chestnut shingles covers the facade of this multipurpose building at a school in the French town of Hostens by Dauphins (+ slideshow). More about School building clad in chestnut shingles by Dauphins
Opinion: watching the demolition of her own elementary school, Alexandra Lange reflects on the increasingly generic design of schools, museums and playgrounds that resign children to "places where all they can learn are the tasks we set them." More about "How can you learn about the world in spaces without character?"
Dutch firm Levs Architecten used unfired clay bricks from local mines to build the barrel-vaulted structure of this primary school on one of Mali's vast plains (+ slideshow). More about Vaulted brick primary school built on a Mali plain by Levs Architecten
Dutch firm Wiel Arets Architects has completed an academic campus in Rotterdam's Hoogvliet district comprising six concrete and glass buildings with subtle surface patterns designed to resemble ivy (+ slideshow). More about Wiel Arets completes college campus in Rotterdam's Hoogvliet district
Slovenian firm Svet Vmes Architects has converted the unused entrance of a school in Ljubljana into an undulating green lounge featuring spotty walls and big cushions (+ slideshow). More about Wavy green lounge by Svet Vmes Architects replaces an old school entrance
This children's library with rammed earth walls in Burundi was built by Belgian studio BC Architects and Studies and members of the local community, according to an open-source design template (+ slideshow). More about African children's library with rammed earth walls by BC Architects and Studies
Rounded lettering frames windows on the facade of this primary school in Bangalore by Indian firm Cadence (+ slideshow). More about Cassata primary school with lettering on its facade by Cadence
This secondary school in Germany by Behnisch Architekten features a spectacular combined quadruple-height atrium and assembly hall (+ slideshow). More about Secondary School Ergolding with quadruple-height assembly hall by Behnisch Architekten
Sinuous balconies surround a multipurpose space at the centre of this language school in the town of Ikast, Denmark, by Scandinavian firm CF Møller. More about International School Ikast-Brande with curving balconies by CF Møller
Movie: Indian architect Sandeep Khosla explains the importance of outdoor learning at DPS Kindergarten School in Bangalore, India, which won the education category at last month's Inside Festival in Singapore. More about "The courtyard is the soul of DPS Kindergarten School"
These flat-packed schools have been designed for assembly in Southeast Asia by Californian architects Amadeo Bennetta and Dan LaRossa (+ slideshow). More about Moving school by Amadeo Bennetta and Dan LaRossa for Building Trust
A playground covering the roof of this kindergarten in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan, is dotted with wooden obstacles that function as light wells for the nurseries underneath (+ slideshow). More about Mukou Leimondo Nursery School by Archivision Hirotani Studio
Indian studio Khosla Associates used a modular concrete framework, bold colours and perforated terracotta screens to create this climate-sensitive kindergarten in Bangalore, which topped the education category at the Inside Festival awards earlier this month. More about DPS Kindergarten School by Khosla Associates
Dutch studio KoningEllis Architects used a combination of grey slate, warm timber and shimmering aluminium for the walls of a new building at this school for children with learning disabilities in Haarlem, the Netherlands (+ slideshow). More about Daaf Geluk School by KoningEllis Architects
Studio Webb has added a zinc-clad roof extension to a private school in south London, which sets off against the building's existing brickwork (+ slideshow). More about Classroom extension by Studio Webb
Rotterdam studio Kraaijvanger has added two new buildings to a school in a suburb of Dutch city, The Hague, with pitched roofs and rustic materials that reference the site's original role as a farm (+ slideshow). More about Early Childhood Centre in Wassenaar by Kraaijvanger
This wooden nursery and elementary school complex in Lyon by French architects Tectoniques has hilly rooftops carpeted with plants that feature walkways for students to explore (+ slideshow). More about Paul Chevallier School by Tectoniques