Natural resources are used up at a more rapid rate, and waste products grow proportionately. The newest addition to Albuquerque's public schools are the useful but unattractive, portable, steel barracks. Set up and moved quite easily, they accommodate changing enrollment patterns while meeting required economic and safety standards. Aesthetic considerations are not top priority. The permanent school buildings, one or two stories, are mixtures of territorial adobe and modern.
Carpets lend texture to the floors, and brightly painted walls are common.
One pitched roof at the Outdoor Education Center is clear, ridged plastic that allows the attic to collect solar-heated air, which is then pushed into the museum by fan. In this case, as throughout the system, materials were chosen for strength, safety, aesthetics, utility, and of course, economy. As a potential carrier of pathogenic microorganisms and dangerous chemicals, water may endanger health and life. Pretreatment consists of initial removal of solids such as cans, rags, gravel, and coffee grounds. Solids removed through pretreatment are disposed of at the sanitary landfill.