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

  • Image courtesy of Kahler Slater

    UW–Madison Announces Completion of Morgridge Hall

    The University of Wisconsin–Madison recently announced that construction is complete on Morgridge Hall, a new academic building, according to a news release. The facility opened September 3 at the start of the fall semester, consolidating the School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences into a single facility for the first time.

  • Countway Library at Harvard Medical School

    From Shadows to Sanctuary: The Transformation of Light at Countway Library

    The renovation of Countway Library at Harvard Medical School demonstrates how biophilic design and advanced lighting strategies transformed a formerly dark, insular space into a vibrant, welcoming hub that supports wellness, learning, and community engagement.

  • University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Launches New Emergency Communications System

    The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) recently deployed a new emergency notification and incident management system for its campus, according to a news release. The university partnered with 911Cellular to launch Safe@UTC, a smartphone app allowing university officials to communicate and respond during emergency situations.

  • New Arizona Fine Arts School Reaches Construction Milestone

    Construction of the new Hilltop School for the Arts and Theater in Litchfield Park, Ariz., recently hit a significant milestone, according to a news release. The Agua Fria High School District held a beam-signing ceremony to celebrate the building’s topping out, or the placement of its last structural beam.