Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Ceiling Designed for Learning

  • 03/01/17
classroom ceiling design with world map

A map across the ceiling serves as an amazing learning tool for students in the Springmill Learning Center’s new Earth Studies Room.

The Springmill Learning Center is a hands-on science and outdoor education center housed in a once-vacant elementary school. During the design stages of the facility, teachers decided each room in the new Center should have a unique feature that would both function as the focal point of the space and support education.

To help attain the objective, the Mansfield School District went to Splashmakers, a firm experienced in the design of exhibits, displays, and graphics for children’s spaces. “Our goal was to create an educational environment that was engaging, exciting, and on budget,” states designer, Kevin Haring. “We wanted to wow the students as they walked in each room, while incorporating educational elements throughout every part of the room, including the ceiling.”

The Center’s new Earth Studies Room features a large full color map of the world on the ceiling. It was created using Ultima Create! — a new custom design capability from Armstrong that allows designers to fashion their own one-of-a-kind ceiling art. The custom ceiling art can be generated from either digital artwork or imagery. For Springmill, Haring took an existing photo of the earth, vectorized it, and put it in an Adobe Illustrator file. The file was then sent to Armstrong, which transferred the image onto a series of Ultima Vector acoustical ceiling panels.

And, the map is not the only teaching tool in the ceiling. The suspension system in which the ceiling panels are placed coordinates with actual latitude and longitude lines, while the recessed lights in the panels can be turned on and off to highlight geographic features like continents or oceans.

“We wanted to break the boundaries of what people usually think a classroom should look like,” Haring states. “We hope other school systems will see this and get excited about implementing environments like it.”

www.armstrongceilings.com

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • Upcoming University of Alabama Performing Arts Center Hits Construction Milestone

    The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala., recently celebrated the topping out of its new Smith Family Center for Performing Arts, according to a news release. The university is partnering with HPM for program and project management on the facility, which broke ground in 2023 and is scheduled for completion in November 2026.

  • concentric silhouettes of a human head

    How Physical Space Shapes the Mind: Designing for Better Learning Outcomes

    Research in environmental psychology and neuroscience increasingly suggests that the way a room is designed can influence memory, focus, or even a student's sense of belonging.

  • Countway Library at Harvard Medical School

    From Shadows to Sanctuary: The Transformation of Light at Countway Library

    The renovation of Countway Library at Harvard Medical School demonstrates how biophilic design and advanced lighting strategies transformed a formerly dark, insular space into a vibrant, welcoming hub that supports wellness, learning, and community engagement.

  • LSU Breaks Ground on $200M Residential Project

    Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, La., recently broke ground on a new residential complex, according to university news. The South Quad residential project will consist of two buildings and add a total of 1,266 beds for freshmen students. The development comes with a price tag of $200 million, and it’s scheduled to open to students in fall 2027.

Digital Edition