Spotlight on Student Centered Design

  • 11/14/17

Chris Gibbs is a principal at DLR Group Architects and has seen many changes and trends come and go in educational facility design.  Designing for student engagement and experience are part of what informs his process, along with the goal of holistically transforming the outcomes for all learners.  

Q. Designing for student engagement has become a hot topic in past years. What are some of the developments on the horizon when it comes to designing schools promote student attention and alertness?

A. Educational facilities play a critical part in the engagement of learners at all levels. As learning place design continues to better align with curriculum and pedagogy, designers must consider spatial variety to maintain student attention and alertness. Spaces may range from individual nooks for quiet contemplation to larger spaces that support active group learning. Each option is equally important to meet the varying needs of young learners.

Q. Is there more of a trend toward designing buildings for career- and college-readiness? How can building and classroom design help students to be better prepared for life after the K-12 world?

A. Preparing students for the ever-changing world that they are launching into after their K-12 experience is more challenging than ever. The pathways students chose after high school are wide-ranging and many of the careers they will pursue have not been invented. Providing learners with a variety of learning places and experiences, when paired with effective best-teaching practices, will develop a solid foundation for their future endeavors. School facilities should provide for seamless day-to-day flexibility in their ability to be modified to support the diverse learning activities that may need to occur.

Q. What are some elements of school design that are overlooked, but really benefit students when thought out and planned carefully?

A. All human beings are social creatures and one critical part of K-12 education is the development of social skills. School design sometimes overlooks the importance of designing spaces for young people to be social. K-12 students of all ages need to continually refine their ability to make friends and be friends in addition to an ability to communicate on a variety of levels.

Featured

  • bar graph with the bars made out of abstract cinder blocks and other construction materials

    Spaces4Learning 2025 Trends in K–12: Materials & Construction

    With 2025 well underway, it’s time to take a look at some broader trends submitted by you, our Spaces4Learning readership. We asked for your thoughts on topics like classroom design, health & safety, materials & construction, and technology in both K–12 and higher-education environments. Below is a roundup of 2025 trends in K–12 materials and construction from the experts in the trenches.

  • Quadient Achieves 25,000 Locker Installations Worldwide

    Global automation platform Quadient recently announced that it has acquired Package Concierge, a U.S.-based parcel management solutions provider, according to a news release. The acquisition pushes Quadient over the 25,000-unit milestone of global installations.

  • East Carolina University Selects Architect for $60M Residence Hall Renovations

    East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C., recently announced that it has selected the KWK/Jenkins Peer Architects (JPA) team, collaborating with INTREPID Architecture, to design renovations for two of its residence halls, according to a news release.

  • VLK Architects Receives Caudill Award for Texas Learning Center

    VLK Architects recently received the Caudill Award for its work on the Dr. Jim F. Chadwell Administration Building and Discovery Lab Learning Center for Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD in Fort Worth, Texas, according to a news release. The award is the highest honor from the Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA) / Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) Exhibit of School Architecture yearly competition.