By Gwen Morgan, RID, IIDA, LEED AP ID+C, and Stephen Parker

Mental health is foundational to quality of life for students and teachers. Recent studies have shown that stress and anxiety in both adults and high school students in the United States are at alarming levels. While the sources of these problems (as well as the solutions) are layered and complex, the built environment is one aspect that can be activated to aid in this crisis—and doing so doesn’t have to break the bank.

What is a Sensory Space?

A multi-sensory environment is a space that has been designed to stimulate or soothe the senses to facilitate relaxation and create a sense of calm.

In the past, sensory rooms have often been implemented in healthcare settings, as well as in schools, primarily for use by specialized populations. Research has shown that such spaces can improve the ability to focus or self-regulate, reduce stress and create a sense of calm.Ěý More recently, in a trend that embraces neurodiversity, multi-sensory environments have been installed in a wider variety of settings, so that a larger portion of the population can access them and the benefits they provide. Increasingly, multi-sensory spaces are being designed in public areas such as libraries, airports and stadiums.

Sensory-enabled architecture incorporates tactile, auditory, olfactory, visual and kinetic elements in design. It looks at how the emotional, psychological, and cultural influences affect how spaces are interpreted and experienced. Sensory-enabled architecture (SEA) is designed to be immersive and experiential. SEA also has the potential to promote mental health and well-being in spaces beyond just healthcare.

In schools, the interest in multi-sensory environments has grown, and the role they play is shifting. Rooms are made available for all students—and sometimes even for teachers. Rather than locating the rooms within a special education or counselling suite, they are often more prominently located to encourage use and reduce potential stigmas. In some cases, sensory room elements are being incorporated into typical classrooms to create a “sensory zone” or portion of the room that could be used by students without needing to leave a class.

What Goes in a Sensory Room?

Sensory rooms may be used by a wide variety of people with different needs, and therefore, typically allow individuals to choose between options such as:

• Sensory stimulation or deprivation through the strategic use of texture. This can include adjustable lights in brightness and color temperature, sounds, including fans or music, scent, images and/or patterns from nature
• Social interaction or alone time through flexible furniture, dividing walls or screens
• Enclosure or openness through furniture solutions, weighted blankets, curtains or tents

Determining the effectiveness of a sensory space through case studies

In 2022, Stantec partnered with Amanda Gale, NCIDQ, WELL AP, associate professor and Undergraduate Program director in Interior Architecture at the University of North Carolina Greensboro, and graduate student Lisa Williams to study the impact of multi-sensory spaces on student stress and anxiety. An unused 270-square-foot office was converted into a sensory space that included paint, carpet, biophilic murals, lighting elements, sound, a weighted stuffed animal and a scent diffuser. Students were surveyed before and after spending 30 minutes in the room using the perceived stress scale, perceived restorative scale, general anxiety disorder scale and through open-ended questions regarding their preferred elements. The study found that:

• Stress was reduced by an average of 3.25 points (0-40 scale), with 41% of people experiencing a reduction in stress
• On the restorativeness scale, the average score was 4.5 (0 = none, 6 = completely), showing that participants viewed the space to be restorative
• Preferred sensory elements included adjustable lighting, sound and seating options, especially when the participants felt a sense of control over these elements

In another study, Austin Independent School District implemented a wellness room in Becker Elementary School. The room included a shared community journal, a poetry center, relaxing furniture at different scales, lamps, projected biophilic patterns and a scent station. Students were asked to indicate how they felt when they checked into the room and again when they checked out.

The study found:

• When checking in, 21.4% were “ready to learn,” 19.6% had “too much energy,” and 58.9% felt “low and slow.”
• When checking out, 82.1% were “ready to learn,” 7.1% had “too much energy,” and 10.7% felt “low and slow.”

The results of both studies demonstrate that multi-sensory spaces are an effective and important tool to help students focus and build resiliency.

Looking at Research-Informed PracticesĚý

Combining empathic considerations with evidence is key to harmonizing sensory environments. The evidence-based design studies that are referenced and applied make the utmost difference. This includes enhancing attention (Han, 2003), restoring positive moods (Lee et al., 2015), and integrating nature within interior or exterior spaces (simulated or actual).

On a minimal budget, designers can combine interior design elements, which include murals, wall dividers, water features, and swing chairs, with adjustable lighting and sound. In addition, leveraging play theory reduces anxiety (Mantzios & Giannou, 2018), lowers heart rate (Roy, 2015) and can be programmed in many forms. The goal is to demonstrate how attainable design interventions can positively affect student mental health, while reducing stress and anxiety. The research results were promising and showed that individuals appreciated the ability to tune their environmental lighting and sound to improve their mood and reduce stress.

Sensory space cost breakdown

A sensory space can be a cost-effective solution. In one of the examples above, a sensory space was installed with measurable results for USD $2,500.

A sensory space can be achievable with a low budget through paint, adjustable lighting, comfortable seating, biophilic patterns or images of nature, incorporating fans, and speakers.

With a moderate budget, a sensory space might include commercial grade furniture, colored lighting, sound, and ventilation options, integrated and modern technology, and the zoning of different experiences (for example, sensory deprivation versus stimulation, or socialization versus alone time).

With a higher budget, sensory spaces can accommodate more complex and controllable features. These might include haptic elements of visual screens, interactive projector systems, circadian lighting or nanometer range fixtures, furniture that allows vestibular movement, interactive elements such as water, bubble, or light tubes and walls, and tactile finishes for stimuli-seeking individuals.

Sensory spaces can effectively improve mental health

Mental health poses a significant concern, but environmental interventions can be achieved at any budget. By designing spaces that offer students a voice and the choice in how they engage with their senses, we can offer support facilities to benefit learning and foster resilience. Design has the ability to elevate the aspirational culture of an organization, safely promote sensory experiences, and encourage agency and autonomy.

Gwen Morgan RID, IIDA, LEED AP ID+C, is a senior principal and discipline leader for Interior Design with Stantec.

Stephen Parker is an architect and mental and behavioral health planner for Stantec.

To learn more, check out resources referenced in this article:

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DALLAS—Stantec has been selected to provide integrated design services for the new 122,000-square-foot Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) building at the University of North Texas at Dallas (UNTD). The latest addition to the Dallas campus will reflect the logic, rigor, efficiency, and optimism of scientific learning through an innovative design that is clearly and functionally organized. The groundbreaking ceremony will take place Friday, September 29.

The US$79 million, four-story STEM building will house instructional spaces including general purpose “high-flex” classrooms, instructional labs, research space, and wet labs that adapt to facilitate various classes including biology and chemistry disciplines. Support areas will include an instrumentation room, cold room, and dark-enabled room to conduct research and store materials in optimal conditions. In addition, a café, pre-function area, and 200-250 seat classroom/meeting space is situated on the ground level, with a variety of collaboration spaces throughout the building.

Empowering community through education

UNTD’s state-of-the-art facility will improve the lives of students and their families by recruiting, training, and employing a more diverse workforce. Through STEM education, UNTD will create upward mobility to a community of learners and first-generation college students by encouraging curiosity and engagement in the sciences.

In addition, Stantec is collaborating with HarrisonKornberg Architects, a minority-owned firm certified as a historically underutilized business, as well as with local educational and community institutions to encourage employment opportunities and internships, provide new technology for training, and prepare students for science careers.

Design through sustainability and wellness

With a direct tie to the natural beauty of the campus, the STEM building will be surrounded by meaningful outdoor spaces and provide views of a courtyard, promenade, and amphitheater. Exterior gathering areas will promote water conservation through native, drought-resistant, and indigenous plantings that direct rainwater to a natural creek bed.

The interior design focuses on occupant well-being by embracing biophilia as a connection to nature through highly filtered clean air, locally sourced materials, and natural daylight and views. Building efficiency will be achieved through smart control systems and physical mobility is encouraged through easy access to stairwells.

Creating spaces for STEM

Stantec has steadily helped clients across North America respond to evolving academic and STEM learning, with related projects such as: Yale University Science Building; The University of Texas at Dallas Sciences Building; University of Lethbridge Science Commons (with KPMB Architects); West Chester University Sciences & Engineering Center; Central Michigan University Biosciences Building; Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi Engineering & Life Sciences Research Building; and The University of Texas at Permian Basin School of Engineering Building.

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GRAND FORKS, N.D.—Stantec and ICON Architectural Group are partnering on the design for the 28,000-square-foot Materials Exploration and Advanced Materials Processing Facility (MatEx) at the University of North Dakota’s Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC), where researchers will conduct inquiries into such subjects as advanced carbon-based materials, biomass process, and critical minerals process and production.Ěý Many existing EERC buildings will be removed as part of the plan for the contemporary science education facility.

The MatEx facility will offer a fuels processing area in addition to its four demonstration plants.Ěý The building will also host a two-story office and locker space to support research staff and administrators.

Stantec principal Travis Sage said that his firm has worked for years with UND, and this collaboration will push the envelope in terms of materials and fuels research.

“The new MatEx will support the EERC’s need to scale its research of discoveries that will help contribute to a more sustainable future economy.”

Stantec is a top 10 design firm as ranked by Engineering News Record and Architectural Record, as well as the #1 A/E firm by Building Design + Construction for 10 years running.

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TOPEKA, Kan.—Personnel from Washburn University recently cut the ceremonial ribbon officially opening its law school’s new Robert J. Dole Hall, named in honor of the late senator, presidential candidate and World War II veteran. The senator’s daughter, Robin Dole, was on hand along with alumni, administrators and construction personnel.

Robert J. Dole Hall, designed by Topeka’s own MCP Group and built by Stantec of Detroit, offers 65,000 square feet of legal education space. The new building features an 11,000-square-foot law library as well as educational trial and appellate courtrooms. The building also has a mural paying homage to the Washburn alumni who argued Brown v. Board of Education before the Supreme Court, which ended segregation in public schooling. Dole’s likeness is also featured in the law school building’s courtyard.

Over 1,000 donors collectively contributed $14 million to the building, the largest capital project in the history of the university.

“Today, as we open this building, we celebrate not only our strong legacy, but the future for Washburn Law and the potential this new building creates for the legal community,” said JuliAnn Mazachek, president of Washburn University.

“The new law school is a state-of-the-art learning environment that will provide a cooperative and collaborative space for students to pursue their legal education,” added Jeffrey Jackson, interim dean of Washburn Law.

Washburn University School of Law, founded in 1903 with 41 students, now boasts 7,000 alumni—including Dole.

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FLINT, Mich.—Stantec, a global leader in sustainable design, was selected to provide architectural and interior design services for the recently unveiled Learning Commons at Kettering University, located in Flint. The new Learning Commons complements the unique Kettering curriculum with a facility that is focused on collaboration, ideation and digital technology.

The new 105,000-square-foot Learning Commons incorporates building systems that speak to the permanence and longevity of the institution while offering durability for the decades ahead. The four-story design features an open-air atrium, and a skylight that fills the entire interior space with natural light. The first and second floors feature public gathering, dining, and collaborative spaces, focused on creating dynamic social spaces for students. The third and fourth floors consist of additional collaborative spaces and environments for research, student support, media resources, individual focus, and group project work.

Other exciting elements of the new Learning Commons include a digital library, a 200-seat multi-media auditorium, dining facilities, outdoor patios and rooftop terraces, and an overnight suite for guest professors and lecturers.

The new Learning Commons features more than a dozen ”D-Spaces.” These spaces serve as collaborative study and team rooms that provide comfortable and functional seating for students, faculty, and staff along with digital and analog work tools. There are two Knowledge Bars hosting an entirely digital library, which holds over 900,000 e-books, 100,000 e-journals, and 100+ databases. Other amenities include a 1,600-square-foot roof-top garden designed to reduce run-off and lower temperatures on its surface and the surrounding area.

The Stantec team focused on giving the new facility a timeless and elegant design. The interior has been strategically designed to provide optimum flexibility, with power and technology woven throughout. The building can easily transform to meet the needs of students and faculty, while also allowing for easy adaptability to future programs or space reconfigurations.

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NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C. (CANADA)—Global integrated design firm Stantec was selected to provide architecture and engineering for new academic and student housing facilities at Douglas College, the largest degree-granting college in British Columbia, Canada. The college educates nearly 25,000 students per year and is transforming the New Westminster, B.C., campus into a “living-learning community.” The total cost of the project is $292.5 million, and the target occupancy date is Summer 2026.

Stantec’s Vancouver team, with support from the firm’s global education sector, is leading architecture, interior design, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, sustainability and building performance, acoustics, and Indigenous engagement services for the project. Graham Construction is the construction manager and structural engineering is being provided by RJC Engineering.

The new 200,000-square-foot academic building is fundamental to the college’s mission to provide an innovative curriculum designed to attract and retain world-class students, faculty, and staff. It will accommodate more than 2,400 students and 200 staff with over 30 classrooms, six computer labs, 80-seat lecture hall classroom, 60-seat event room, and specialized and open collaboration labs. In addition, it will house two faculty departments, student study spaces, along with a variety of breakout/meeting rooms, and lounge areas for collaboration. Dining services will be a component of the academic building and augment campus food services available at the legacy campus.

Sharing a structural podium, the new 130,000-square foot student housing component will encourage a sense of community and nurture social and academic interchange. It will feature 368 student beds in both private and traditional shared student housing layouts. Building management systems will provide smart controls for the HVAC, lighting, and energy systems that will optimize environmental performance and energy management. Efficient water use will be obtained through low flow fixtures.

“The new building is the culmination of years of consultation and collaboration to develop a unique building that reflects the kind of supportive community that students have come to expect from Douglas College,” said Dr. Kathy Denton, President of Douglas College. “This will be a welcoming and accessible space that inspires students to achieve their educational goals and become resilient global citizens.”

The new space will target net zero carbon, BC Energy Step Code 4, and LEED Gold certification requirements. Douglas College’s Environmental Sustainability Policy guides their efforts to actively identify and adopt best practices in environmental responsibility, sustainability, and energy efficiency.

“Our team is honored to help redefine the campus experience for students, faculty, and staff at Douglas College,” said Mark Travis, lead architect for the project and principal at Stantec. “Creating spaces rich in learning and community, these new buildings will support the college’s goals to foster a dynamic, accessible, and supportive teaching and learning environment that deeply values excellence and innovation.”

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PORTLAND, Ore.—A recent transformation at Portland State University has given new life to an outdated structure, infusing a 1960s venue with natural light and flexible spaces and resulting in an instant hub of campus activity.

The task was to transform the outmoded, fortress-like Neuberger Hall (now named Fariborz Maseeh Hall) into a modern, interactive, light-filled academic hub. The five-story building was originally built in the Brutalist-style, a common campus aesthetic which reflected the pragmatic and inwardly focused buildings of that era. A half-century later, these buildings represent the antithesis of the open, flexible environments called for today. Evolving this building to meet the current needs focused on three key strategies: 1) re-centering the design to the user—the students, faculty, community members, and others who use the building; 2) prioritizing life-cycle and life safety upgrades to the building as a whole; and 3) engaging with owners, contractors, consultants and subcontractors in collaborative, fine-grained decision-making that preserved as many opportunities as possible to support all Portland State University students.

The design concept repositions the building—which functions as a central student hub with classrooms, lecture halls, student services, and faculty offices—through a series of interventions, renovations, and expansions. The result is an engaging, open, and humane experience. With an emphasis on access to daylight and connections between indoor and outdoor spaces, the 250,000-square-foot building now enhances campus function, while better connecting and responding to its urban setting.

The original building was completed in two phases, 1961 and 1969. The two elements are now joined by a common floor plan, while their distinct exterior appearances are preserved. Through a rigorous programming exercise, the removal of 20,000-square-feet of floor area for the light well reduced only 3,000-square-feet of assignable space, while improving program efficiency and flexibility with the additional floor area at the interior with access to daylight. Exterior facades were upgraded through new curtainwall systems. That increase visibility while enhancing energy performance.

A new central light well brings daylight into the heart of the building, and a more transparent facade provides visual connectivity to the outdoors. The new floor plan now provides students, faculty, and staff with enhanced opportunities for cross-pollination. Improved ground floor program distribution also now provides visual and physical connections between the plaza and park amenity spaces and expands opportunities for more student activity and interaction outside of the classroom. The physical connections are improved through a continuous accessible floor plan with full ADA access and enhanced way finding. Previously closed-in hallways and circulations now have unobstructed line of sight between the building’s eastern and western perimeter.

By renovating Fariborz Maseeh Hall rather than demolishing and rebuilding, the team was able to preserve the embodied carbon of the building and substantially reduce carbon emissions. Together, the combination of replacing all windows with high performing substitutes and the increased daylight into the building reduces the building’s energy demand by 25% from the CBEC baseline model of buildings of similar size and use.

Hacker Design Team

David Keltner – Design Principal
Jennie Fowler – Interior Design Principal
Nick Hodges – Project Manager
Rashmi Vasavada – Project Architect
Matt Leavitt – Project Architect
Sonia Norskog – Interior Design
Jake Freauff – Design Team
Shawn Glad – Design Team
Marissa Jordan – Design Team
Brendan Hart – Design Team
Alex Palmer – Design Team
Vijayeta Davda – Design Team
Brad Smith – Design Team

Consultant Team

Architecture and Interiors: Hacker
Contractor: Fortis
Landscape: Mayer / REED
Civil Engineer: KPFF
Structural Engineer: ABHT
Mechanical & Plumbing Engineer: PAE
Electrical Engineer: Reyes Engineering
Geotechnical Engineer: GRI
Lighting: Biella Lighting Design
Acoustical Engineer: Stantec
Façade Building Envelope: RDH Building Science
Historic/ SHPO: Architectural Resources Group
Sustainability: Lensa Consulting

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TEXAS & MICHIGAN—Leading global design firm Stantec was selected to provide design and engineering services for three K-12 district bond programs in San Antonio, Texas; Bastrop, Texas; and Caledonia, Mich. With construction costs totaling an estimated US$260 million, these projects include facility renovations and expansions, technology upgrades, and infrastructure improvements to offer more modern educational and recreational spaces for the students of these communities. The new projects represent a continued firmwide focus on supporting K-12 campuses through long- range facility planning programs located throughout North America.

San Antonio Independent School District

Stantec is providing design services for the district’s Brackenridge High School, the Burnet Campus, and Steele Montessori. The Brackenridge High School project will renovate or replace the auditorium, indoor and outdoor athletic facilities and fields, and will include improvements to the school’s technology infrastructure. The Burnet Campus will consist of a full-service campus to accommodate growth at the Bonham Academy. Steele Montessori will undergo a renovation of the historic building and expansion of classroom space and replacement of the cafeteria, along with campus-wide technology improvements.

Bastrop Independent School District

Projects for two new elementary schools, two middle schools, and two high schools were awarded to Stantec as a part of the approved bond program for Bastrop Independent School District in Bastrop, Texas. The two new elementary schools will receive improvements to accommodate a total of 1,500 young learners. Both the Bastrop Intermediate School and Cedar Creek Intermediate School will be converted into middle schools for grades 6-8 with renovations to their athletic facilities, music and drama spaces, science labs, and building systems. The work also includes the modernization of Bastrop High School and additions to increase student capacity at Cedar Creek High School. Bastrop High School will add a new academic wing of classrooms and new extracurricular spaces as well as expand and renovate Career & Technical Education (CTE) facilities.

Caledonia Community Schools

In Caledonia, Mich., Stantec and C2AE were recently awarded the design of the new Caledonia Athletic Complex (pictured) as part of the school district’s 2020 Bond Program. Sited adjacent to the existing educational campus, the new 47,000-square-foot facility will include indoor and outdoor athletic facilities, themed areas for seniors and kids, flexible meeting spaces, and offices for staff. The project is scheduled for completion in 2022.

Stantec regularly assembles long-range plans with extensive stakeholder engagement to achieve a shared vision between the schools and communities and meet changing educational needs.

“When designing for bond programs, we know there is an extra vested community interest in the spaces created,” said Laura Sachtleben, global education sector leader for Stantec. “We take that responsibility to heart and act as good stewards of those community resources while designing schools that provide a welcoming, safe, and healthy place for students to experience and learn.”

Stantec is also supporting schools across North America with design services, including Prince George County Public Schools in Maryland, for which the firm is providing architectural design within a project consortium. This project spans six new public schools as part of a Private-Public Partnership (P3), the first of its kind for a U.S. public school system. In Virginia, the Loudoun County Public Schools awarded Stantec the first project of their master program, a new middle school. And facing dramatic surges in city-wide demographics, the School District of Philadelphia turned to Stantec to transform an existing multi-school campus, incorporating the new accelerated, design-build turnkey delivery of a 180,000-square

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Pause for a moment and imagine yourself in a lush forest, hearing the gentle sound of water as it flows down the stream. Does this thought provoke a sense of calm and happiness? If the answer is yes, you are like most of us. Research shows there are important positive correlations between human wellbeing and time spent outdoors. With more than half of the world’s population now living in urban areas, people are spending less time in nature. Many of us have replaced this outdoor time with longer hours indoors in front of screens. Today, many children can no longer play freely in nature due to rapid urbanization, and there are fewer natural areas easily accessible to them. Moreover, children most likely to benefit from an outdoor play and learning environment are less likely to have access to one. The situation has worsened with the Covid-19 pandemic, as days spent on screens have become a new normal for early learners, and with many students taking at least a portion of their classes online.

Nature impacts the wellbeing and development in the early childhood years

Studies developed by the American Institutes for Research show that schools using outdoor classrooms and other forms of nature-based experiential education offer significant student gains in social studies, science, language arts, and math. Learners in outdoor science programs improved their science testing scores by 27%. Natural elements added to the outdoor environment increase children’s spatial-cognitive awareness, physical competence and skills, and socialization. Time spent in green spaces, including parks, play areas, and gardens also reduces stress and mental fatigue. Additionally, early experiences with the natural world are positively linked with the development of imagination and the sense of wonder.

Natural design elements

As schools across North America work to reopen safely, there is an opportunity to rethink early childhood environments and expand the classroom environment to the outdoors in a meaningful way.

Research indicates that an outdoor learning and play environment with diverse natural elements advances and enriches all the domains relevant to the development, health, and well-being of young children and direct, ongoing experience of nature in relatively familiar settings remains a vital source for children’s physical, emotional, and intellectual development.

Recent research shows the many benefits that direct interaction with nature can have for the children’s wellbeing. Specific design characteristics from the great outdoors can help young children thrive in their learning environments:

1. Play-based learning and student agency

In early childhood, play and learning are part of children’s everyday lives. At the same time, we know outdoor learning environments that provide a wide range of comfortable, accessible, safe, and diverse settings will facilitate richer playing and learning opportunities for children. Ideally, these environments will allow children to explore and discover freely but also should give them the ability to modify their environment: children who spend time playing outside are more likely to take risks, seek out adventure, develop self-confidence and respect the value of nature.

There are several ways we can include these ideas in the design of early childhood schools. We can provide space and elements that invite wildlife like native plants, rock piles, bird baths, and bird feeders; and offer outdoors zones for children to grow their own plants and vegetables. There is also value in offering a variety of gardens: herb gardens, flower gardens, rock gardens, and alphabet gardens.

We can include elements that draw attention to environmental features like green roofs, photovoltaic panels, thermometers, rainwater harvesting elements, grey water recycling, and wind turbines.

We can also incorporate components that encourage direct interaction with the natural environment like accessible sources of water and soil, and natural elements that they can manipulate such as rocks, shells, pinecones, or wood.

These interactive, natural features engage children, while fostering commitment and respect the environment and providing them with opportunities to practice independence.

2. Sensory learning

Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development states that children move through different stages of mental development: for the young child, learning is experienced as sensory absorption. According to his research, during the early stages of cognitive development, perception conducts thought.

Learning environments designed to provide a wide variety of colorful natural elements, textures, smells, temperatures and sounds will stimulate the early learner’s senses. Examples of design features to put these ideas into practice are the use of natural tactile finishes with different temperatures to the touch in the interior design like stone or wood on walls. Texture can be used to provide variety, add interest, and create contrast in the interior design but also can be a powerful tool for the landscape design by using fine or coarse surfaces for plants or materials. Everything has a texture: plant foliage, flowers, bark, and the overall branching pattern.Ěý Water feature sounds can provide a tranquil background and plants that attract birds can also be simple ways to add the sounds of nature to early learning outdoor environments.

3. Sense of place and the importance of local wildlife

Our connection to a place comes from a relationship — physically, emotionally, or spiritually — to a specific geographic area.

Piaget’s research shows that children begin developing their sense of place during early childhood as they explore and manipulate materials in their environment to understand the world around them. Outdoor play areas filled with native plants and wildlife provide habitats for native species and opportunities for children to develop appreciation and emotional connection with their context while reinforcing the message of sustainability.

A good example of efforts to restore this connection with the natural world is the “Pocket Prairie” initiative created in urban areas like Houston. According to Jaime Gonzalez, community education director of the Katy Prairie Conservancy, pocket prairies are small pieces of land bursting with native grasses and wildflowers that are found on the prairie: one of the most humble, resilient and hard-working habitats that exist.

Pocket prairies, wild landscapes, migration patterns, and gardens with interactive components create the opportunity for education and exploration. Spatial connections between the school with the surrounding neighborhood and greater community can help children recognize where they are located within the larger context.

Jazmin Mendez is a designer based in Stantec’s Houston office. She is dedicated to creating innovative solutions for a broad range of early childhood, K-12, and higher education projects.

Parul Vyas is a principal based in Stantec’s Houston office. She partners with educators, facility planners, and community leaders to create dynamic learning environments for future generations.

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Driven by new paradigms in curriculum delivery and promising new research on what helps young learners excel, the early childhood classroom environment is changing.

This change is rapid and far from uniform. There is no single prototype or solution that fits every classroom. Each school and district have a unique set of students, teachers, and parents with their own goals and objectives. We must involve all stakeholders in discovering what best fits their needs as layout and instructional space is developed — mixing ideas and strategies for engagement.

Broadly speaking, we can pinpoint a few trends emerging that support exceptional early child learning.Ěý Spatial flexibility is key in a time of dynamic pedagogy, while choice and discovery are important for children’s social, intellectual, and emotional growth. The availability and appropriate use of technology must be woven into this new environment. But with screen time a concern, we must look for designs that inspire rather than overstimulate.

Personalization

The ideal classroom encourages student choice of “where and how to learn.” This personalization of spatial identity supports student creativity, innovation, and socialization. Early evidence collected by RAND Corporation, researchers for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, found “that personalized learning (PL) can improve achievement for all students, regardless of their starting level of achievement, and students who are able to personalize their space perform better.”

Flexible spaces and technology play important roles in supporting this personalization. A 2016 report, commissioned by the Ministry of Education in New Zealand, researched the connection of overall facility quality and design and its impact on student outcomes.Ěý They found that “flexible learning environments imply that the school adapts the use of resources such as staff, space, and time to best support personalization.”

Flexible Spaces

Schools have different pedagogical methods and instructional styles which require flexibility in furniture arrangement, equipment portability, classroom size, and classroom layout. In lieu of the traditional “rows of desks” and “sit and get” instruction, students thrive on a variety of learning activities. By not limiting a classroom to the traditional four walls, a larger and more flexible classroom environment can offer many more opportunities for instruction, spaces for groups of different sizes, and areas for independent or collaborative work.

The increased transparency of a larger instructional space fosters more collaboration between teachers, a shared responsibility for all students, and encourages higher performance. At Richard J. Lee Elementary School in Coppell, Texas, even the Kinder areas take advantage of shared spaces in and out of the classroom that are designed to serve a variety of learners, learning styles, and activities.

In addition to classroom layout qualities, the New Zealand study identified four core technical features within flexible learning spaces and their direct impact on student outcomes. They found that higher quality buildings and facilities are linked to better student achievement and engagement outcomes with students feeling happier and feel more valued.

1. Acoustics: Quality acoustics temper distracting excess noise and lead to calmer environments where students can better interact with each other and the teaching staff.
2. Lighting: Natural light is best, but windows must be thoughtfully designed to limit visual distractions, prevent impairing glare during instruction, and minimize solar heat gain.
3. Ventilation: Better indoor air quality (IAQ) and minimizing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) has shown to reduce health-related issues, such as asthma or allergic reactions, which directly affects absenteeism or distraction in class.
4. Heating and cooling: Teachers need the ability to control temperatures of the classroom to complement various activities and the overall comfort of the room.

Overstimulation

The visual environment of the classroom was studied by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University to understand children’s ability to maintain a focused attention during instruction. They found that “the students in a highly decorated classroom spent more time off-task (38.6% time spent off-task) than in a more-sparse classroom (28.4% time spent off-task).” An over-designed space and overstimulating environment can flood a child’s day with too many experiences, sensations, and activities –negatively impacting student achievement.

Technology distraction in early child classrooms is heavily debated by educators and parents today. When it comes to screen time, experts recommend a limit of one hour a day of high-quality programming for children two to five years of age. The Mayo Clinic says “unstructured playtime is more valuable for a young child’s developing brain than is electronic media.” But with the next generation of parents, likely to be more digitally savvy, we willĚý see a shift toward more screen time. We need to be cautious about how we enrich instructional spaces and carefully consider which additions, both technological and environmental, might be too distracting to early learners.

Technology

It was just 10 years ago when the first tablet was introduced. Fast forward to current day and technology has become a staple in most learning environments. But how much technology is appropriate for early learners?

When our team was designing Prestwick STEM Academy in The Colony, Texas, placement of technology was an important and collaborative discussion. Solutions varied by age group. In the kindergarten areas, TVs and computers were not the focus within the classroom environment. Finding the correct balance of technology was key. It did not want to be too overwhelming and dominating within the space but the technology still needed to be readily accessible to students.

How we look at technology in classrooms will evolve. Over the next decade, early child and pre-k classrooms will be occupied by children whose parents are “digital natives.”Ěý These future parents, born after 1997, will have new expectations for technology integration in the classroom. A greater variety of technological mediums, some yet to be invented, could become more essential for enhanced learning and increased engagement for tomorrow’s students.

Michael Lovaglio, AIA, RID, NCARB, is a principal with Stantec.

The post Core Considerations for Early Childhood Classroom Design appeared first on ĐÓ°ÉÔ­°ćŇ•îl.

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