Conceptualizing Creative Classroom Redesign

Despite the advancement of museums and other educational facilities to incorporate form into function, students in public schools still learn in rectangular rooms with teachers up front and children at desks set to face them. Little but the increase in presidents and computers has changed about the basic set up of the school room today’s students learn in and the way it was arranged when their parents and grandparents attended class.

Cost is a big reason why education plans have changed but floor plans haven’t in the last century. While learning is leaning towards concentrating on individual efforts, one on one engagement and awarding achievements, construction costs still make it cheaper to build schools with fixed walls than large spaces flexible to change for function. Despite the high cost though some schools like Denver School of Science and Technology, have decided a redesign to be necessary. They raised the ceilings, added plush couches and window seats and carpeted the halls to reduce noise among other things. Ronald Bogle, the president of the American Architectural Foundation, commented that as cool as it may be, school design "isn’t about making pretty. It’s about the space performing very particular functions."

Slate Magazine wanted to take the concepts a step farther and decided to take on the American classroom, specifically 5th grade. It challenged readers to design and vote on the best space plan for a modern learning institution no matter what the cost. Entrants could be as fantastical as they desired but were required to keep function in mind. It asked readers to “send us the design for one room only, though that room may represent a comprehensive rethinking of school, which we encourage you to explain. You don’t have to consider budget; you should, however, consider how you think students should be taught and motivated.”

In the end there were over 350 entries and the winner was The Fifth-Grade Exploration Studio, imagined by Greg Stack and Natalia Nesmeainova of NAC Architecture in Seattle. The theme of the design was connect and encouraged students to connect to the information, technology and the outdoors.

You might not have the budget but with a little imagination you can design an innovative classroom for your students using tools like Classroom Architect. Get inspired by the essence of Slate’s challenge and try to rethink the way kids can educational experience through the classroom environment.

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By Heather Fairchild - Heather is a writer and blogger for Nexxt. She researches and writes about job search tactics, training, and topics.