Educational psychologists constantly stress the impact that the physical environment has upon students and their capacity for learning. As educational methodologies and teaching tools continue to evolve, these must be reflected in the use of classroom spaces. Innovative manufacturing of classroom facilities ensure that all the space available is utilised effectively and efficiently.
Manufacturing an environment beneficial to the concentration and productivity of students is central to Innova Design Solutions’ production of education spaces. Keeping the design and manufacturing under one roof ensures that the latter is completed to the bespoke requirements of the particular institution.
Innova Design Solutions maintains a consistent level of measured perfection throughout the manufacturing process by utilising Computer Numerical Control (CNC) technology. Rather than rely on production by hand, the CNC system provides complete accuracy which is a necessity when working towards tight specifications.
This manufacturing process also enables Innova to complete much of the work in house, reducing the on-site time and potential disruptions significantly. This is vital in an educational environment, where students are easily distracted by any disruption.
The company is dedicated to using materials designed for their specific purpose. These materials ensure that they provide the maximum amount of storage and use with the minimum amount of space used. The flexibility of Innova’s manufacturing team even enables them to produce fittings and fixtures designed by a third party.
Innova recently won a contract to manufacture a Nottinghamshire College’s new science laboratory, complete with the company’s exclusive ‘Hot Corners’ lay-out which offers students areas designed for both group work and as an increased storage area. The contract was secured after the team showcased another installation recently completed at Shireland Collegiate Academy in the West Midlands.
Innova Design Solutions’ design manager, Peter Cunningham, believes that classroom manufacturing will continue to develop in tandem with technologically improving workplaces: “In the industrial era, schools developed as highly controlled environments that reflected the common workplace, in which it was necessary to have discipline. Traditional classroom set-ups with rows of students all facing the teacher does not promote creativity or collaboration. Now, classrooms must adapt to suit the information age, reflected through more diverse forms of learning with flexible layouts to suite a variety of teaching styles. Visual and interactive learning spaces are becoming central to teaching with the introduction of smart boards, touch screens and green screen technology. Smart phones and tablets are becoming increasingly used as resourceful tools in lessons. With the introduction of new technologies, the design of classrooms needs to be optimised to accommodate new technologies, allow seamless cable management, provide secure storage spaces and ensure sufficient power sockets where necessary.”
The concept of the classroom itself may soon be a thing of the past with a number of schools in Sweden adopting an open plan learning environment. Traditional classroom spaces have been eschewed in favour of conceptual learning areas. Should the classroom-less school become more commonplace, classroom manufacturing will continue to evolve as the needs of each child at every point of the day could be considered and used to inspire the totality of the manufacturing process.
