When my brother went to high school in California, I remember being fascinated by the fact that he had to walk outdoors to get from class to class. There wasn’t really anything like that in Bernardsville, N.J., where my own K-12 alma mater is located.
Of course, that was more than 20 years ago, now, and things certainly have changed — and I would say for the better. If you need visual proof, check out this fun feature about eco-classrooms from a recent issue of Fast Company magazine.
The image above is from Gen7 Schools, which delivers classrooms in a modular format so that they’re relatively quick to install. There’s still fluorescent lighting, but the classrooms have a more efficient thermal design, so there are less dramatic temperature fluctuations. Which is wonderful, if you’ve ever been stuck in a stifling school into the late months of June. With more schools exploring around the calendar schedules, this sort of design is imperative.
What these learning environments all have in common is a sensitivity not just to the environment, but on how the environment affects learning.
