Key Design Features for Innovative Schools

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 info@vsamerica.com.

Featured

  • 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.

  • Illinois Elementary School Breaks Ground on Campus Expansion

    Heather Hill Elementary School, part of Flossmoor School District 161 in Palatine, Ill., recently broke ground on a new addition to the school focused on student support and security, according to a news release. The district partnered with Wold Architects & Engineers for the expansion as part of a longer-term facility planning and modernization initiative.

  • KnowBe4 Releases Report on Education Sector’s Preparedness for Cyberattacks

    Cybersecurity platform KnowBe4 recently released a new research report titled “From Primary Schools to Universities, The Global Education Sector is Unprepared for Escalating Cyber Attacks,” according to a news release.

  • College of the Desert Starts Construction on New Campus Location

    College of the Desert recently announced that it has broken ground on its new Palm Springs campus in Palm Springs, Calif., according to a news release. The multiple-building campus consists of 175,000 square feet of new construction and will cost an estimated $268 million.