When preparing each edition of Learning By Design, I pause to reflect not only on what is happening now, but also on what lies ahead for the future of educational space design. How will societal shifts, emerging technologies, workforce demands, and demographic changes shape the work of our readers?
Welcome to the Spring 2026 edition of Learning By Design—your trusted source for education design innovation and excellence. In a world defined by constant change, the challenge of creating safe, welcoming, and effective learning environments continues to evolve.
When preparing each edition of Learning By Design, I pause to reflect not only on what is happening now, but also on what lies ahead for the future of educational space design. How will societal shifts, emerging technologies, workforce demands, and demographic changes shape the work of our readers?
If you ever get the chance to step inside a commercial building floor-covering manufacturing plant, take it—I can’t recommend the experience highly enough. This past June, I had the unique opportunity to join a Press Tour of Armstrong Flooring’s (AHF Products) Kankakee, Illinois facility. It’s not only one of the
No matter what your role: Administrator, Educator, Architect, Planner, Designer, Facilities Executive, or Community Member, others will trust you to lead, and will appreciate that you show respect for their ideas and situations, resulting in things getting passed and done together.
I recently asked Microsoft Copilot, “What does it mean to ideate?” It cited Merriam-Webster: “To ideate means to form an idea or ideas.” For example, you can ideate a new system or simply engage in the process of ideating, which involves thinking creatively and generating new concepts. This led me
Over the past three decades my professional experiences have exposed me to design concepts, methodologies, and visions for creating the optimal built environment. Methods like Human-Centered Design or Universal Design (UD) strategies are intuitive. Other concepts are more complex and emerged from the study of natural and social sciences. Evidence-based
On education campuses across the country. summer is a time of built-environment renewal and a refresh of tired or worn spaces. For new construction projects, the summer season typically marks the culmination of years of planning, fund raising, and excitement about moving into new spaces of learning designed for
Learning By Design aims with this compendium of awarded PreK–12 schools, institutions of higher education, and other learning facility types to coalesce a field of vetted-projects and forward-thinking knowledge that you and others in your communities can admire, emulate, and apply lessons-learned for improving any type of learning space.