How Daylighting Improves K-12 and Higher Education Spaces

Design Drives Learning. From early education to higher ed, today’s learning spaces are built to move, adapt, and inspire. Acoustic solutions, flexible furniture, and smart power options help create environments where focus, creativity, and connection thrive. Explore solutions that shape how students learn and educators teach — from adaptable furniture and divider systems to ergonomic seating and portable power: SurfaceWorks® • MergeWorks • OM Seating • Flexxform Designs Inc. • Omnicharge 📬 See the full Education Solutions mailer: https://lnkd.in/e3qKDrkm 🌐 Explore more education-focused products: https://lnkd.in/eV6U_2fj Join us as we continue the conversation on the future of education design at EDspaces 2025 — connecting design, innovation, and learning. ➡️ https://ed-spaces.com/ #EducationDesign #LearningEnvironments #ActiveLearning #AugustBerres #FurnitureDesign #EDspaces #Ergonomics #FlexibleClassrooms #OMSeating #Flexxform #SurfaceWorks #MergeWorks #OmniCharge

Downlight Design Tips 💡 Did you know? For even illumination, downlight spacing should be about 1.5× the fixture’s height from the work plane. This simple guideline helps reduce shadows, prevent glare, and ensure consistent light coverage across the space. Whether you’re designing offices, classrooms, or retail areas, proper spacing is key to both comfort and efficiency. Need help with your lighting layout? Contact the EarthTronics team for expert guidance on choosing and positioning the right downlights for your project. 👉 https://bit.ly/3P4cVjo #LightingDesign #LEDDownlights #LEDEducation #FacilityLighting #LightingTips

💡 Missed EDspaces last week in Columbus? Or did you attend and want a closer look? 💡 We know how much happens at a conference, so we posted this fly-through video of our booth, showcasing the innovative learning environment furniture that stole the show! It was incredible connecting with so many schools, A&D professionals, and furniture dealers about the future of flexible learning spaces. What Made Our Booth a Must-See? ▪️ Systemic Flexibility: Our designs aren't just standalone pieces—they work together as a cohesive, flexible system. See how new products seamlessly integrate with existing lines! ▪️ The Power of the Piece: Watch as products like our versatile Slice Desks pivot and combine into countless configurations, and our 2G2BT Teaching Station adapts to any instructional style. ▪️ A Peek at the Future: Get a glimpse of the new solutions designed to meet the evolving needs of K-12 and Higher Ed. Whether you're finalizing a library overhaul, designing a flexible classroom, or simply seeking inspiration, we’ve got the pieces to transform any space. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ready to Add Innovation to Your Projects? Don't let innovative concepts stay on the screen! If you want to explore how our flexible furniture can work in your specific floor plan, our team is ready to help with CET Designer or Sketchup models. Drop a comment below with which piece caught your eye, or send us a DM to start a conversation about your current projects! Don't forget Ecolution Design for the most adapable and thoughtfully produced acoustic pod available. #EDspaces #LearningEnvironments #FlexibleClassroom #K12Furniture #HigherEdDesign #FurnitureDesign #ArchitectureAndDesign #NewProducts #EducationalFurniture #MienFurniture #CETDesigner

#Interior_Design_Capstone_Project_Research (Midterm Presentations) ... It is always a privilege to teach the Capstone Research Project, where students demonstrate their ability to transform research-based insights into meaningful and applicable interior design solutions. This stage of their academic journey is truly inspiring, as each project emerges from real needs, human challenges, and opportunities for innovative design interventions. This year, we explored a wide range of impactful themes, all rooted in #enhancing_user_experience, #wellbeing, #safety, #comfort, and #spatial_luxury. Their research topics reflect a deep understanding of contemporary societal needs and the evolving role of interior design, including: Well-being and healing environments, luxury hospitality experiences, creative and activity-driven spaces, kids’ disability and inclusive design, astronomy exploring, digital and smart libraries, sleep disorder environments, live performance and event spaces, umrah pilgrims’ experience, sports and wellness facilities, gaming hub, perfume experience, fashion galleries … and many more innovative directions that will serve as the foundation for their final graduation projects next semester. A special appreciation to Prof.Reem Alsabban, who joined the midterm jury as an external evaluator. Her insightful comments and professional feedback enriched the students’ learning experience and elevated the academic dialogue. Proud of all my students for their dedication, research depth, and growing design maturity. Looking forward to seeing how these ideas evolve into strong, impactful final projects. Effat University Effat College of Architecture and Design #Design_Department

In Sweden, school lunchrooms are being transformed into calming, forest-like spaces—where the noise of clattering trays and chatter fades beneath acoustic wood ceilings and the gentle presence of indoor trees. These design upgrades are part of a nationwide initiative to improve student well-being through natural architecture. Instead of sterile cafeterias, children now eat beneath slatted timber panels that absorb echo and distribute sound evenly, lowering overall noise levels and stress. Towering planters hold real or semi-hydroponic trees—birch, olive, or small-leaved fig—bringing the visual texture and scent of the outdoors into the school day. Soft pendant lights, shaped like stones or leaves, hang low between branches. The air feels cooler, the ambiance gentler, and mealtimes become less chaotic and more communal. Some schools even add low benches and picnic-style tables to complete the experience. Teachers report fewer behavioral disruptions during lunch and smoother transitions back to class. Students describe the canteens as “relaxing like a park,” and in colder months, the greenery offers a welcome sense of life and continuity. The combination of sensory comfort and biophilic design reflects Sweden’s growing belief that learning doesn’t only happen in classrooms—it thrives wherever young minds feel calm and connected. This school dining shift isn’t just aesthetic—it’s emotional architecture in action. #ForestCanteens #QuietLunchDesign #SwedenSchoolSpaces

Not just lunchrooms but also classrooms, corridors, breakout spaces where the need for better sound control measures, natural light enhancement, biophillia natural ventilation, more suitable space, furniture/finishes are all well understood to improve learning for all students, but particularly those with SEN and ASL requirements. While some architects/designers/developers do understand the research and are taking steps to improve designs, such projects do have cost constraints imposed by LAs and government. However where opportunities to improve learning by a significant percentage exist over and above curriculum design we should endeavour to take them.

🎓✨ Proud to share a recent project from my Special Problems in CADD class at Meredith College! As part of our redesign of the CAD Lab, my partner Hailey Martin and I tackled real-world challenges in educational interior design—from inefficient circulation and outdated materials to non-ergonomic workstations. Our goal: transform the lab into a collaborative, flexible, and tech-forward learning space that supports student engagement and well-being. 🔧 Key design strategies: - Grouped workstations for better collaboration and circulation - Ergonomic layouts with mounted screens and CPU towers below desks - Static control flooring and acoustic ceiling tiles for comfort and safety - Overflow zones for flexible, independent access outside studio hours This project combined research, creativity, and technical precision to reimagine how interior design students interact with their learning environment. #InteriorDesign #CADD #MeredithCollege #StudentProject 

Coming soon 👀 SOUND FLOWER — a new step forward in designing for neurodiversity. Developed by Echokit, SOUND FLOWER combines biophilic design, adaptive lighting, and acoustic absorption to support focus, comfort and inclusion in shared environments. It addresses two of the biggest environmental stressors in workplaces and classrooms — harsh artificial lighting and distracting background noise — giving users control over brightness and colour to create spaces that feel calmer and more supportive. Petal-like fins diffuse and soften the light while absorbing sound, creating both a sensory balance and a sculptural visual statement — equally at home in classrooms, workplaces, libraries, cafés or homes. Sustainably made in the UK from 75% recycled materials, SOUND FLOWER reflects our ongoing commitment to thoughtful, human-centred design. 🌿 #SoundFlower #Echokit #BiophilicDesign #InclusiveDesign #LightingDesign #AcousticDesign #Neurodiversity #WorkplaceWellbeing #SustainableDesign #DesignInnovation

Last week, students from the University of Florida, School of Interior Design, put their classroom lessons into action! They helped frame a neighbor’s wheelchair ramp — applying what they’ve learned about creating spaces that truly meet residents’ functional needs.🧡💙 This project marks the third year that Rebuilding Together North Central Florida has collaborated with the University of Florida’s School of Interior Design to integrate service learning with hands-on, real-world experience. #CommunityImact #UFInteriorDesign #ServiceLearning #GatorGood #Rebuild

The Unified Glare Rating (UGR) is a standardized metric used to quantify discomfort glare from luminaires within an indoor lighting environment. It provides an objective measure of how likely a lighting installation is to cause visual discomfort to occupants. The UGR value is calculated based on several parameters, including the luminance of each luminaire, its solid angle, background luminance, and the position of the observer. Typical UGR Thresholds: • <10 → Imperceptible glare • 10–19 → Suitable for offices, classrooms, and task areas • 19–25 → Acceptable for circulation zones or industrial settings • >25 → Excessive glare; lighting redesign recommended ⸻ Strategies to Minimize Glare: 1. Use luminaires with controlled optical systems (e.g., anti-glare lenses, baffles, or louvers). 2. Optimize luminaire placement and orientation to avoid direct light in the field of view. 3. Employ indirect lighting techniques — reflect light off ceilings or walls to achieve uniform illumination. 4. Balance luminance ratios between task surfaces, backgrounds, and surroundings. 5. Select surface finishes with low reflectance to reduce specular reflections. 6. Ensure adequate contrast control by integrating both ambient and task lighting. ⸻ Key Takeaway: Maintaining a UGR below 19 in workplaces significantly enhances visual comfort, productivity, and user well-being. Effective glare control isn’t just about compliance — it’s a core element of high-quality lighting design. #LightingDesign #UGR #UnifiedGlareRating #GlareControl #VisualComfort #InteriorLighting #ArchitecturalLighting #LightingEngineering #IlluminationDesign #AntiGlare #LightingStandards #HumanCentricLighting #OfficeLighting #LightingQuality #Luminaires #LightingSolutions #LightingDesignTips #LightingEfficiency #BuildingDesign #WorkplaceLighting