A Glimpse of the Future of Educational Facilities

Annual Education Design Showcase

Grand Prize winners and projects that received Honorable Mentions in School Planning & Management’s and College Planning & Management’s 19th Annual Education Design Showcase were the featured attraction in one of the lounge areas of the EDspaces Conference & Expo.

Approximately 2,300 professionals who design, equip, and manage the creative learning environments in our nation’s schools and higher educational institutions gathered in Tampa, Fla., Nov. 7 through 9 for this year’s EDspaces Conference & Expo. The Education Market Association, host of the event, says that attendance has increased by more than 10 percent each of the last two years.

In addition to having the opportunity to visit with more than 200 exhibitors (56 of which were new this year) and experience their offerings of educational furniture, equipment, fixtures, and services, attendees could choose from more than an offering of 60 EDsessions that were certified for continuing education credits. There were also two plenary sessions on creating educational environments for 21st Century Learners and several tours of both PreK-12 and higher education facilities.

If you are curious about new ideas, furnishings, equipment, and products to help create innovative educational spaces, this is one of the conferences you should consider attending. Next year, the conference will be held Oct. 23 through 25 in Milwaukee.

Changes in Our Print Publication Schedule

In 2019, School Planning & Management will begin publishing 8 issues per year—combining the January/February, April/May, July/August, and November/December issues. The January/February issue is scheduled to mail around Feb. 13 and will include our annual Facilities and Construction Brief.

This article originally appeared in the School Planning & Management November/December 2018 issue of Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Embry-Riddle Completes Construction on Research, Lab Facility

    Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Daytona Beach, Fla., recently announced the end of construction on a new research and lab facility on campus. The Center for Aerospace Engineering II (CAT II) will support aerospace research and technology development and broke ground last summer.

  • Dallas ISD Voters Approve $6.2B Bond Package

    Dallas ISD voters have approved a record-setting $6.2-billion bond package that district leaders say will modernize aging campuses, eliminate portable classrooms and reshape learning environments across one of the nation’s largest school systems.

  • UCF Modernizes College of Hospitality Management

    The University of Central Florida in Orlando, Fla., recently completed a major renovation effort for the Rosen College of Hospitality Management, according to a news release. The project modernized 77,600 square feet worth of academic classrooms, teaching labs, and collaborative spaces to support both students and faculty.

  • Rethinking K-12 Schools as a Continuous Learning Experience

    Most students move through three or more separate facilities during their K-12 journey, yet the built environments they encounter at each stage have traditionally been designed in isolation, with little continuity in spatial language, learning philosophy, or physical resources. Each new school is a reset with different layouts, learning models, expectations, and ways of moving through a building. The next generation of school design is making the case that the first day of kindergarten and the last day of high school can and should feel connected through common support systems and infrastructure in the physical environment.