School of Thought . . . Interior design for modern-day learning
When it comes to learning, the education sector has never looked so sharp. Ever-evolving fast-paced technologies affect not only the way in which we learn but also the environments in which we study. When you spotlight the education sector as a whole, it’s clear that children don’t just learn in classroom boxes. Therefore, designing, revamping and renovating today’s schools and universities isn’t just about affordable ergonomics, but rather injecting versatility and flexibility into a building, so students and teachers alike can thrive creatively and engagingly.
Adaptable learning . . . Beyond the blackboard
Changes in teaching styles and studying – away from the desk and onto the screen – has seen a flip in spatial design. With 21st Century critical thinking, communication and collaboration all driving our pupils’ success, creating spaces that shift from transactional to transformational is essential to mindset and learning development.
For those embarking on a design project for school or learning centre, it’s about writing new chapters whilst maintaining a building’s history and legacy. Blending the old with the new – adaptive reuse. Taking traditional classroom formats and combining them with collaborative and breakout spaces, incorporating flexible furniture and fittings, considering multipurpose space factors and acoustic barriers. Spaces that accommodate educational changes and students’ need for change.
How have classroom customs diversified and how are our interiors adapting?
- Teachers are no longer bound to the the front of the class, nor students billeted to rows. Different subjects require different media and employ various technologies, which means furnishings are being reconfigured throughout the day, adapting to individual lessons. Chairs, desks, tables and stools need to be durable and compatible to withstand regular shifting.
- One size doesn’t fit all at school – something educators have always known but haven’t always addressed. However, with ‘different height and size’ issues now more actively recognised, classes are seeking to provide students with more than one chair and desk fit – those for the taller and shorter amongst us.
- Facilitating collaborative and individual working is a key focus for teachers, so reaching for surfaces that are mobile, that can multipurpose and transform is a must. For example, some activities are carried out in small groups, while others as a whole class, which means everyone needs to be able to move with ease – furniture included. Certain classroom situations – i.e. examinations – require a writing surface, but others solely a tablet or laptop. Thus, having a desk that can fold away or has removable tablet arms, is an ideal way of covering both bases without cluttering a space with desks.
- Rooms that multipurpose and cross-pollinate is a must as many teachers now teach in teams – pod learning – and one space may also accommodate a drama group, piano recital and sport meeting in a single day. A flexible interior – partitioning included – allows for shift and shuffle.
Focal Point … Flexibility in modern-day school libraries
Designing a library space that encourages students to source information from books and technology and also from listening to other peoples’ stories and viewpoints is essential for learning and creative development.
Given the library is so widely used – the heart of many a school – its physical space must seamlessly combine both traditional literature and e-learning facilities, provide a platform for sensory experiences – exhibitions and curriculum linked displays, and serve itself as an area for student collaboration and performances.
Outline Design’s recent refurbishment of St Kentigern College’s School library is a key example of how a space can promote both functionality and flexibility.
“This library is designed to be a lively, flexible, inspiring and a highly functional space with varied zones, encouraging both collaborative learning and quiet reflection,” explains Nina Cryer of Outline Design. “We custom-designed the joinery items and provided full joinery drawings to our contractors, selecting and specifying all finishes and fittings, and selected and procured all furnishings.”
Working alongside the St Kentigern College Library Integration team, Outline’s designers mapped a clear vison for the space.
“We wanted to create a very collaborative space: flexible for events, less books, low mobile shelving, with plenty of different styles of seating – high, low, soft – and modular, writable table-tops that can be nested,” explains Victoria Wilkes of Outline Design. “We wanted students to feel comfortable eating, drinking and talking in the library, and also provide them with the option of studying in a quiet space, which is why we incorporated acoustic divider panels.”
St Kentigern’s library transformed into a space that allows students to make discoveries, put technology to imaginative use, to study, perform and relax in. To learn more about Outline Design’s St Kentigern College projects – including the refurbishment of their Macfarlane Administration building – contact us here.
About Outline Design
Outline Design is an established commercial interior design firm based in Auckland, New Zealand offering the full range of interior design services. To find out more contact us.
