Schools and other educational spaces such as early learning centres and universities are incredibly important facilities that require particular building and design features. Building a home, for instance, is not the same as building a school or classroom space, and that’s why commercial builders are essential to this process. Keep reading to find out three of the most important building and design features of modern classrooms for 2023 and beyond. Then, discover where to go for professional custom building solutions for all your commercial needs.  

Open Plan Learning

Open-plan learning has been a fixture in many schools for years now, and as trends progress, it remains one of the features that is important in the design of modern schools. These classrooms are not the typical square box of a room that you might think of from your own education, but rather, are characterised by a large open space which is divided into the desired number of individual classrooms. This is done, however, in such a way that each classroom is still a part of the wider open learning space, either through the use of partitions, or sliding walls and doors.

This style of classroom promotes collaboration between students and teachers, making it easy to implement educational strategies such as team-teaching. This style of design is also extremely flexible, which is another important consideration for the building and design of the modern classroom. Teachers in open-plan classrooms can effortlessly work as part of their team of colleagues, and students in these classrooms can more easily connect with their wider year level group. The benefits are many, which is why open-plan classrooms and learning spaces will remain a fixture in school design in 2023 and beyond.

Spaces Designed for More Than Learning

As educational research progresses, particularly in the area of student wellbeing and social and emotional learning in schools, it is increasingly important that the focus in building and design of schools turns to these things as well. According to Dr. Adam Wood, an expert social scientist, ‘designing schools for living as well as learning’ should be a priority for all those involved in design, from educators to builders. This is due to the fact that while a great deal of learning does occur at school; indeed the learning is a major focus, there are also a great many other things that happen in educational settings besides what we think of as learning.

Young people socialise and come to understand how to interact with others at school. They cultivate social-emotional skills with the help of their teachers and educational support staff. They play, laugh, develop, and grow at school, just as much as they learn, so it is becoming critical in the 21st century to design and build schools that reflect this.

Classrooms need to incorporate space for the ‘living’ that Dr. Wood speaks about, but not only classrooms. Outdoor spaces and playgrounds can be designed with this focus too, as can school halls and other collaborative, communal spaces. 

Flexible Learning Spaces

Flexibility is a huge consideration in educational settings nowadays. In years past, classrooms served one function. The playground served another function. The library space is yet another. However, these days teachers and students require more than just one thing from a designated area, space, or room. Flexibility in schools means that teachers can utilise their classrooms and spaces within their classrooms in more than one way.

For instance, open floor space becomes a group work area for literacy groups. A hallway space with seating becomes a breakout space for brainstorming during inquiry learning. A reading corner becomes a play space in a Foundation classroom. The options are endless if educational settings are planned, designed, and built with care and consideration for flexibility.

The flexibility theory can apply to any space within a school, not just classrooms. Outdoor spaces, for example, present so many opportunities to become flexible learning spaces, with the right design. Think, plenty of shade from the sun, grass, and outdoor seating such as benches, and you have the perfect area for an outdoor lesson.

The key is to maximise the multi-functionality of every space possible within a school. This can promote more collaboration between classes and year levels, as well as innovation in teaching, as flexibility in building design allows educators to utilise the latest educational techniques. 

Do You Need Professional Commercial Builders?

Look no further than S&B Lamble Builders. We are proud to offer you 35 years of industry experience, alongside outstanding commercial building solutions and exceptional customer service. Our commercial building contractors are fully licensed and qualified to deliver stunning results for a variety of facilities including aged care facilities, schools and other educational structures, and industrial premises. Whatever your commercial building project, we will endeavour to make your vision a reality.

When you need custom commercial builders, contact us at 03 5941 8135, or fill out our online contact form and we will be happy to help with your enquiry.