Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Key Design Features for Innovative Schools

  • By Dietmar Lang
  • 03/01/18

Educational spaces and modern school furniture design continue to evolve. Here are some design features that innovative schools utilize to achieve success.

Versatility in Design

Why it’s important: Numerous studies have shown the correlation between student well-being and flexible, ergonomic seating options. The best furniture design maximizes the potential for diverse uses and can be reconfigured to better suit both the user and the environment.

How it’s done: Stackable desks, mobile storage units, and easily foldable, storable teaching accessories are ways that furniture design is transforming educational settings.

Coherence of Furnishings and Environment

Why it’s important: Modern classrooms are typically single spaces used for various activities. When students feel their environment is purposeful and they’re prepared for the task at hand, the learning experience is dramatically improved.

How it’s done: Balance in design that extends to both environment and furnishings is achieved by evaluating space and choosing furniture that supports a diversity of tasks and activities.

Private and Public Space

Why it’s important: When students are kept in one position, energy and attention can lag. By contrast, motion allows for times of productive and reflective individual work as well as networking and team-driven activities that teach social skills.

How it’s done: Mobile dividers and movable furniture solutions instantly transform spaces from individual-focused to social and group-oriented. By allowing furniture design to organically promote authentic collaboration, students can feel more comfortable and adept in a variety of learning styles and situations.

This article originally appeared in the School Planning & Management March 2018 issue of Spaces4Learning.

About the Author

Dietmar Lang is the director of Marketing & Product for VS America. He can be contacted at [email protected].

Featured

  • Round Rock ISD Completes New Early College High School

    Round Rock ISD near Austin, Texas, recently announced that construction is complete on a new, 46,500-square-foot campus for Early College High School, according to a news release. The new facility will allow the school’s students and staff to move from portables into a permanent building and increase its enrollment to 500.

  • El Paso District Breaks Ground on New Elementary School

    The Canutillo Independent School District in El Paso, Texas, recently announced that construction has begun on a 119,000-square-foot elementary school, according to a news release. The district partnered with Pfluger Architects, Carl Daniel Architects, and LDCM Solutions on the new Davenport Elementary School, which has an expected completion date of 2027.

  • LAN, Inc. Opens Office in College Station, Texas

    Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, Inc. (LAN) recently announced the opening of a new office in College Station, Texas, to support its regional client base, according to a news release. The organization provides engineering, design, and program management services for water, wastewater, transportation, stormwater, and education clients in the Brazos Valley.

  • Photo credit: Elkus Manfredi Architects

    University of Virginia Selects Design-Build Team for New Residential Complex

    The University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Va., recently announced that it has selected a design-build team for a new upper-class residential development on campus, according to a news release. Capstone Development Partners—in partnership with Elkus Manfredi Architects and the Hoar Construction/Hourigan construction team—will move forward with the three-building, 310,000-square-foot housing facility.