Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

A Glimpse of the Future of Educational Facilities

  • By Jerry Enderle
  • 11/01/18
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

  • Construction Begins on 100+ Acre K–12 Campus Designed for Lakota Culture

    The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe (CRST) and the Cheyenne-Eagle Butte School District in Eagle Butte, S.D., recently broke ground on a new K–12 campus that will cover more than 100 acres and serve students and families across 1,600 square miles, according to a news release.

  • 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.

  • ed tech conference calendar

    Upcoming Awards, Events & Webinars

  • Longwood University Hits Construction Milestone on New Music Education Facility

    Longwood University in Farmville, Va., recently celebrated the topping out of its new music education and performance facility, according to a news release. The university partnered with development and construction firm Skanska on the 63,800-square-foot facility, which began construction in August 2025 and has an estimated completion date of fall 2028.