The pandemic upended a lot of things in our lives, but maybe nothing more so than the education system. The very way children were taught changed virtually overnight, leaving many students, teachers, parents and school leaders trying to figure out how to teach students virtually.
Flexible spaces, outdoor learning and makerspaces key to how students are learning
CO Architects designed a new auditorium and modernized the design of an original 1920s administrative and classroom building as well as a library at North Hollywood High School in North Hollywood, Calif. The project features new construction of classrooms, a gym, chemistry/general science classrooms, a technical arts building, and new landscape design with student outdoor amenities. (Photo courtesy of CO Architects)
As the height of the pandemic waned and students returned to schools, teachers and districts had to find ways to accommodate this new normal. As schools learn to adapt, the buildings for K-12 are evolving as well. New trends provide plenty of options to change as needed in the future.
The entry of A.E.R.O. Therapeutic Center in Burbank, Ill., brings students to an open, airy lobby with resting points where students can pause and collect themselves. (Photo courtesy of Legat Architects)
Design Trends
Recent design trends include project-based group or team learning, integrating technology, flexible learning spaces, updated safety considerations and sustainable design elements. “Moving forward,” James Hugglestone, principal, architect at Fawley Bryant Architecture, Sarasota, Fla., says, “we can expect to see an increased emphasis on adaptable and multifunctional spaces that support a range of learning styles and needs.”
As a designer using evidence-based design principles, Kelsey Jordan, AIA, WELL AP, Fitwel, architect, educational planner at Chicago-based Legat Architects, says the trends she’s seeing include placing a greater emphasis on repositioning educational facilities as cultural epicenters for the communities that they serve. “These educational facilities should meet the unique needs of their current students, as well as families of future students, by providing resources for school-ready learners. When the design of these facilities includes community input early in the design process, community members become engaged stakeholders.”
“Compared to recent years,” Hugglestone says, “I’ve seen a greater focus on designing responsive learning environments that can adjust based on students’ and teachers’ physical and emotional well-being and needs.”
Some of the design trends seen today date back approximately 15 years, when Mike Baker, AIA, principal and the director of K-12 design at Lubbock, Texas-based Parkhill, notes that flex spaces, collaborative classroom neighborhoods, maker spaces and outdoor learning spaces started becoming common requests.
In addition to a dramatic uptick in the inclusion of eSports in recent years, Zach Maggia, AIA, ASA, partner at TAP Architecture, Oklahoma City, says they’re seeing more development of programs to help students integrate into the workforce after graduation. “High schools seem to be investing in partnerships with career techs and colleges to create direct career paths for their students,” he says. “These fields very from traditional trades like electrical, HVAC, plumbing and framing to nursing, film production, aviation and hospitality.”
Trends such as passive design approaches are a little harder to spot, as they hide within other trends and practices such as biophilia, safety and wellness design, adds Jordan.
Designed by Parkhill, the Lubbock-Cooper ISD Middle School in Lubbock, Texas, focuses on engaging students, preparing them for their futures, literacy and access of educational information. (Photo courtesy of Parkhill)
Pandemic-Related Design Trends
In addition to an increase in outdoor study spaces and better breathing air inside buildings through better HVAC systems, the pandemic placed a higher emphasis on technology. “The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of technology and hybrid learning models,” notes Hugglestone. “It heightened concerns for health and safety in educational facilities and led to changes in ventilation systems, spatial configurations and the integration of touchless technologies.”
“Some schools were able to quickly pivot,” notes Tyler Wade, Associate AIA, project architect, educational designer at Legat Architects, “while others without basic internet access fell behind, so technology played a different role depending on the district and shifted the pedagogy accordingly.”
However, regardless of district, the pandemic increased the awareness of how buildings and design impact the health and wellness of their occupants both mentally and physically. “This ties back to developing spaces for students with neurodiverse mindsets and learning styles as well as integrating passive design strategies so the building not only performs well but also addresses occupant needs,” says Jordan.
“Finding the right balance between occupant comfort and building performance is an ongoing process that has evolved since the COVID-19 pandemic,” adds Wade.
One way that educators have been able to tailor spaces to respond to differentiated learning is folding partitions. When properly positioned, Baker says folding partitions increase the number of functions for each academic space, increasing educational opportunities for each classroom. “This spatial flexibility allows educators to vary the student density in each space which may also benefit the health of students and educators during outbreaks of illnesses, such as COVID-19,” he explains. “Educators can isolate students in a traditional classroom setting or reduce student density by opening folding partitions and incorporating additional square footage from an adjacent larger group collaboration area.”
Additionally, Maggia notes that he’s seen more investments in nursing programs in high schools, career techs and universities, most likely as a response to the health care worker shortage caused by the pandemic.
Designed by Legat Architects, the Community Consolidated School District’s (CCSD59) Early Learning Center (ELC) in Mount Prospect, Ill., capitalizes on outdoor learning and the power of play to change attitudes. (Photo: AJ Brown Imaging)
Outdoor and Flexible Learning Opportunities
In recent years, learning has extended beyond the classroom, with many schools opting to have outdoor learning areas. “Many times, a change of setting is enough to re-engage a student’s focus for the next assignment,” Baker explains. “Many subjects can easily transition to outdoor environments, such as art, robotics competitions and science. Reading or performance-based learning activities can also thrive in outdoor learning too.”
Michael Stebbins, AIA, associate principal at CO Architects, Los Angeles, notes that recent studies show that providing a connection to the exterior environment either visually or physically can improve student engagement and learning outcomes. “We anticipate that this trend will continue,” he says, “and include the introduction of shade structures and more robust infrastructure for power, data and lighting to enhance the educational experiences in these exterior environments.”
“COVID forced many districts to instruct either entirely remotely/virtually, in a hybrid format with reduced physical class sizes, or use of existing, new or refurbished outdoor facilities to provide instruction in an environment with the desired social distancing in fresh air,” adds Stebbins. “This is another reason for the current focus on outdoor learning.”
Offering flexible indoor and outdoor learning spaces is crucial for supporting diverse pedagogies and fostering creativity and collaboration. “These spaces can enhance students’ engagement, well-being and academic performance,” says Hugglestone. “Outdoor learning spaces in particular can provide opportunities for physical activity, fresh air and exposure to nature, which can improve students’ physical and mental health and reduce stress and fatigue.”
As Maggia notes, offering a variety of classes seems to be appealing to school administration, and it gives students better opportunities. “Flex spaces in younger student education has also gained popularity. It offers opportunities of learning experiences that would otherwise would not be possible in a traditional classroom setting and offers team teaching opportunities.”
With campus-wide Wi-Fi and personal learning devices, students can learn virtually anywhere, Baker says, especially in a high school setting. “Informal spaces, such as social stairs, extra wide corridors, or even dining areas, can be places where education happens.”
Parkhill designed an addition for Roberts Elementary School in Lubbock, Texas.
Technology and STEAM
While technology in schools varies from district to district, technology in the classroom can be more easily integrated as a way for teachers to show real-world examples by simply connecting wirelessly to a projector casting to a whiteboard, says Wade. “Some schools have pushed the boundaries of technology even further by eliminating student lockers for student tablets.”
Additionally, increased emphasis on students going to trade schools or entering the workforce after high school have led career and technological education (CTE) courses to make a resurgence in the form of STEAM, or science, technology, engineering, art and math classes. “The addition of maker spaces with 3-D printers, CNC mills and laser cutters give a hands-on approach to STEAM-related courses,” notes Maggia. Adds Hugglestone, the incorporation of maker spaces, robotics labs and virtual reality technologies, among other innovations, help students develop essential 21st century skills.
STEAM career paths are shaping the ways in which schools are designing both new and retrofitted spaces, Jordan explains. “Both old and new facilities need to integrate surging technology impacting the careers provided in their CTE classrooms. For instance, some welders now need to know how to weld as well as use robotic welding machines. Woodshops can now teach students how to use basic hand tools as well as CNC machines. Improving and placing an emphasis on these types of spaces provide an introduction to career opportunities just as much as a science lab.”
Baker says they’ve located STEAM-related spaces near each other in recent K-12 designs. These spaces sometimes surround a collaboration hub, where divergent subjects can converge into innovative ideas.
Even in Pre-K-5 schools, maker spaces are examples of flexible and adaptable classrooms. “These activity-based learning labs can facilitate art activities, science activities, and maker activities where robotics or 3-D printing are becoming more common,” says Baker. “Because of the availability of utilities and access to an outdoor learning area, these spaces can be repurposed toward more deliberate science labs or art rooms if future trends move in that direction.”
TAP Architecture designed the 37,000-square-foot Little Axe Middle School in Norman, Okla. (Photo: Simon Hurst Photography)
Energy Efficiency
As with most projects across the board, energy efficiency and sustainability are major aspects of design. And, the AIA 2030 Challenge has more firms aiming to design buildings that are carbon neutral, or net zero, by 2030. “Energy efficiency and sustainable design are increasingly important in current design trends,” says Hugglestone. “They help reduce a school’s carbon footprint and operating costs, and positively impact the learning experience. Sustainably designed buildings offer environmental benefits and improved student well-being with features like better air quality, natural light and sustainable technologies.”
“Fluctuations in energy and fuel costs are a reminder that designing and constructing energy-efficient buildings can reduce future expenditures for heating, cooling and lighting—what we call the total cost of ownership to the client,” adds Baker.
When it comes to solar, Stebbins notes that while they used to see the accommodations for future photovoltaic panels at roofs and shade canopies as the extent of addressing minimum requirements for the energy codes, and they’re now frequently seeing the inclusion of PV panels from the start.
Located in Noble, Okla., TAP Architecture designed the Noble High School gymnasium and performing arts center. (Photo: Simon Hurst Photography)
Trends with Metal
Regardless of the type of design changes in the education market, the use of metal construction products remains popular. Stebbins says metal construction products are being used as both main and secondary structural elements, as well as stairs, guardrails and handrails, gates, fencing, mechanical screens, as well as roofing, exterior wall and ceiling finishes. On exterior facades, Baker says metal products allow more color options and material textures, all while reducing the structural weight of walls above roof planes that were traditionally constructed of masonry.
“We see metal used more and more as a playful, colorful façade element impacting our design in a positive way,” says Wade. “Additionally, open ceilings showcase metal as a structural element and turn buildings into a living, breathing teaching tool.”
“Metal construction products such as steel framing, metal roofing and curtainwalls are popular choices in the design of educational buildings due to their aesthetic diversity, durability, versatility and sustainability,” adds Hugglestone. “The use of metal products may vary depending on each project’s specific design needs and requirements.”
The 40,000-square-foot Tecumseh Early Childhood Center in Tecumseh, Okla., was designed by TAP Architecture. (Photo: Simon Hurst Phography)
Building Adaptability
A school design’s ability to adapt to future education trends is critical in respecting a client’s investment. “More than ever, it’s important to acknowledge that future education philosophies may demand the alteration of academic spaces in a school facility sooner, and more often,” Baker says.
“When we design schools, we study the layout of the structural grid and depths, classroom arrangements, and circulation to optimize adaptability for upcoming trends,” Baker continues. “The design’s ability to respond to future needs, such as a plan for multiple academic layouts either in traditional direct instruction or highly collaborative arrangements of education spaces is crucial in respecting the clients’ long term construction investment.”
That being said, Baker notes the adaptability of a structure, and its systems, is of increasing importance because the latest approaches to teaching may soon be challenged, not only by new educational trends but by changes in administrative and campus leadership.”