By VS America听

Today鈥檚 libraries, media centers and learning commons support research, instruction, collaboration, creation, reflection and connection 鈥� often within the same shared space.听

That means the physical environment has to do more, too. A successful library should support multiple ways of learning at once while remaining adaptable, welcoming and easy to navigate.听

Here are seven important considerations when designing libraries for how learning happens today.听

1. Make Information Easy to Access

Learners must be able to move freely, find resources easily and engage independently. Open shelving, clear pathways and intuitive layouts make information visible and accessible, removing barriers to learning.

Resources are integrated throughout the space, supporting both structured instruction and spontaneous discovery. Mobile storage and flexible shelving allow materials to shift with learning, keeping resources within reach as needs change throughout the day.

2. Create Space for Learning Together

People gather to discuss ideas, solve problems and build understanding together. Flexible tables, mobile seating and shared surfaces support conversation and movement, allowing multiple groups to work at once without disruption.听

As the heartbeat of the learning community, libraries support collaboration and communication. This means deliberately designing spaces where people can engage with one another, exchange ideas and learn through shared experience.听

3. Support Creation, Not Just Consumption

Today鈥檚 learners don鈥檛 just access information, they create it.听

Libraries encourage hands-on learning, from STEM exploration to prototyping and design. These environments must allow for experimentation, movement and iteration without becoming restrictive.听

When the environment supports making, the library becomes a place where ideas can move from research and discussion into something tangible.听

4. Integrate Digital Learning Naturally

Students move fluidly between physical and digital resources, often working quickly and independently. Whether it鈥檚 charging a device over lunch or taking a deep dive into database research, spaces that support short-duration work, device use and media interaction are essential.听

Access to technology, power and flexible work surfaces allows students to research, produce and interact with information in ways that reflect how learning happens today.听

5. Make Room for Quiet Study and Reflection

Reading, research and reflection often require settings that support concentration and reduce interruptions. These spaces must feel calm, comfortable and separate, while still connected to the larger environment.听

Thoughtful layouts, softened acoustics and intentional zoning help create environments where people can focus without distraction and engage in deeper thinking.听

6. Design for Choice, Comfort and Inclusion

Everyone learns in different ways, at different paces and with different needs. Providing a range of spaces, with seating and tables that adjust to accommodate everybody and can be easily rearranged to create clear, open pathways for movement allows each learner to find a place that works for them.

7. Plan for Community

From daily use to larger gatherings, these spaces support a wide range of activities, serving individuals, groups and the broader community. They must adapt easily between focused work, informal interaction and shared experiences.听

Open layouts and flexible furniture allow spaces to shift throughout the day, supporting both individual use and group engagement. Areas can accommodate presentations, collaborative work or community events without requiring permanent changes to the space.听

At VS, we design furniture that helps libraries create purposeful spaces, where each area supports a different way of learning.听

This article was sponsored by VS America, Inc., a manufacturer of educational furniture for K-12 schools, colleges and libraries. Focused on best practices for educational facilities worldwide, VS develops adaptable, ergonomic and sustainable furniture solutions which allow for the creation of agile learning environments. For more information, visit .听

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By听Valerie Peterson, AIA, LEED AP, and Alison Andrews, AIA听

听have sparked debate about how students with disabilities are supported in schools. As the Department of Health and Human Services takes oversight of special education and the Department of Justice assumes school civil rights enforcement, some advocates worry special education could shift from supporting how students learn to managing students鈥� disabilities separately.听

This raises an important question for school district leaders: How do buildings make students with disabilities feel like they belong?听

Regardless of how policy evolves, districts control how students experience support. Design determines whether special education programming is connected to peer groups or pulled out to spaces that isolate students from their school community. Over decades of experience designing special education space, Wold Architects & Engineers has learned to prioritize belonging, then layer in spaces, equipment, and safeguards students need to participate in an equitable school experience.听

Integrate Special Education听Into听School Life听

Special education classrooms, especially in aging schools, are often isolated from the rest of the building or too small to support students and staff, reinforcing separation, even when the district鈥檚 goal is inclusion.听

Planning should begin with the full听student day: where students start and end, how they move through the building and what they need to receive instruction and intervention. When specialized support connects to the rhythm of the school, transitions become easier physically and emotionally. Students with disabilities have better access to general education activities, fewer听disruptions听and more natural peer interaction. Their听peers听benefit, too. Familiarity builds acceptance, helping reduce听the isolation听and misunderstanding that can contribute to bullying.听听

Make Support Accessible Without Singling Students Out听

Inclusion does not mean every student needs the same space or schedule. Some students need calming rooms, toileting support, therapy spaces, small-group听areas听or controlled sensory environments.听听

The key is making support accessible without making students feel removed from the school community.听Specialized classrooms should be located听near听 shared听learning areas when appropriate. Small-group and sensory spaces should be easy to reach without requiring students to travel long, highly visible routes that feel isolating. Wayfinding should make resources clear and approachable, not听hidden听or confusing.听

Available resources also serve students beyond those receiving special education support. Small-group rooms, calming spaces and flexible furniture are shown to support focus,听regulation听and learning for all.听

Help Staff Help Students听

Special education spaces affect how students regulate, communicate, receive听care听and听participate. Calming rooms, small-group rooms, flexible furniture, adjustable lighting, acoustic control, durable finishes, accessible toileting rooms, changing tables, lifts and care areas are easy to treat as technical requirements. But students and staff experience these details every day.听

A restroom too small for听assistance听can compromise dignity. A sensory room too far from the classroom can incite dysregulation and delay relief. Poor acoustics can complicate focused instruction. An undersized room can force staff to听improvise around听equipment.听

These features support students鈥� comfort, safety and independence while giving teachers, paraprofessionals and related service providers spaces that match their daily routines. That is why special education staff should be part of planning conversations early: they understand where the day breaks down and which small design decisions make support more effective.听

How Existing Buildings Work Harder for Today鈥檚 Needs听

Many districts are supporting today鈥檚 special education needs inside buildings designed decades ago, based on outdated expectations for inclusion and accessibility. Renovation is an opportunity to ask if a building can support how services are delivered now.听

Capacity counts do not answer that question. Wold Architects & Engineers has seen many Districts experiencing a decline in overall enrollment while the number of students in special education programming more than doubles. With special education classrooms typically requiring a smaller student-to-staff ratio, specialized equipment and access to support spaces, the classrooms no longer utilized for general education may not accommodate the shift in building programming.听

For example, a former general education classroom may need different adjacencies, privacy, breakout space, storage, acoustic听control听or access to nearby care and therapy areas to function well. Without those considerations, renovation may add space while leaving the core service challenges unresolved.听听

Facilities teams should evaluate the number of students a building serves and what support spaces they need. That lens can help districts prioritize the most meaningful interventions, especially when budgets do not allow for replacement or major additions.听听

Design听Around听Belonging听

Districts do not need to wait for policy clarity to make better decisions inside their buildings.听They can bring special education teams into planning discussions early, map the student day before assigning rooms and plan adjacencies to support access and inclusion.听

Specialized support does not have to separate students from their peers. When schools are designed around belonging, students with disabilities can access the spaces, relationships and听supports听they need to听participate听more fully in their community and thrive.听

, AIA, LEED AP, and听, AIA, are education practice leaders at听听who work with school districts to align planning,听programming听and design with the needs of students,听staff听and communities.听

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By Lindsey Coulter听

School restrooms have long been viewed as purely functional spaces, but educators, architects and administrators are increasingly recognizing that听restroom design can听have an outsized impact on safety,听wellness听and the overall student听experience. Rather than focusing solely on gender inclusion, many districts are rethinking restroom design as an opportunity to improve comfort,听privacy听and supervision听for all users.听

That shift is prompting architects to move beyond traditional multi-stall restroom layouts in favor of designs that create greater openness in shared spaces while offering significantly more privacy where students need it most.听Prompted in part by the AIA鈥檚听鈥淚nclusive restrooms & locker rooms in K-12 schools鈥� report听from听2024,听more education leaders and design partners are听reimagining听these critical spaces to offer听a more dignified approach to the traditional听restroom听experience听that also nets听better student health outcomes.听

Rethinking the Restroom听

According to Joel Williams,听Studio Director for Quattrocchi Kwok Architects (QKA) in the firm鈥檚 Castle Rock, Colo., office,听the conversation has evolved well beyond accommodating specific student populations.听

“Restrooms are one of the most challenging spaces on a school campus,听from the student听experience standpoint and from the supervision standpoint,” Williams said. “It’s not a space听that听administrators can easily moderate. The bad stuff that happens on听a campus听often happens in a restroom.”听

For Williams, the discussion begins with a simple question: Are school restrooms actually serving students?听He often听references Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs when discussing restroom design with听education听clients.听Before students can fully engage academically, they must first feel physically safe and comfortable meeting their most basic needs.听

“Having things like air, food, water, shelter, sleep and clothing are foundational, and I think bathrooms fit in that layer,鈥� Williams said.听鈥淲hen students听avoid听using听the bathroom at school, that’s a very clear sign that it’s a problem.”听

Stakeholder engagement sessions reinforce that conclusion. When Williams asks students,听parents听and teachers to describe school restrooms, the responses听often include words such as “smelly,” “dirty,” “dark,”听and听“sketchy.鈥澨齎aping,听bullying听and general discomfort are听also听recurring concerns.听

Balancing Privacy听With听Supervision听

The greatest design challenge lies in balancing two competing priorities: creating听enough听privacy for students while听maintaining听enough visibility to discourage inappropriate behavior.听Rather than hiding the entire restroom behind a single door, many newer concepts shift openness deeper into听the space. Shared handwashing areas become visible from adjacent corridors, while individual toilet rooms are enclosed with full-height walls and doors听for more visual and acoustic privacy.听听

Because the shared areas听remain听visible, staff members no longer听have to听enter enclosed restroom spaces to听monitor听activity. Students moving in and out naturally create听additional听accountability, while security cameras can听monitor听circulation zones without compromising privacy inside the toilet rooms.听

The approach also addresses newer concerns such as digital bullying. Traditional partitions leave gaps above, below and beside stalls that can expose occupants to unwanted photography or harassment. Full-height compartments听largely eliminate听those vulnerabilities.听

Small Details Can Improve Comfort听

Beyond the overall layout, Williams believes听seemingly minor听design decisions can significantly improve the user experience.听Things like听door hardware听and听occupancy听indicators听to reassure users that the door is secured听contribute to reducing anxiety.听听

Accessibility is another opportunity to improve restroom functionality.听

Williams advocates听for听including sinks within larger accessible toilet rooms. While originally intended to serve wheelchair users, these spaces can also provide听additional听privacy for students dealing with medical conditions, menstrual听hygiene听or other personal needs.听

“It’s about providing space that accommodates other people who need whatever special considerations they may have on that particular visit,鈥� Williams said. 鈥淭hat’s an example of how we can make these spaces better for听everybody.”听

Read the full article in the Design & Construction issue of 糖心少女, available now.

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By Soft Play

Creating a safe and inclusive school playground is paramount for productive playtime. Custom color surfacing materials enhance a play area鈥檚 visual appeal and provide safety. Kids will look forward to recess and parents will appreciate having a safe place to take their children after hours.

Discover where you can buy custom color surfacing materials for playgrounds and explore factors to consider before partnering with a provider.

1.听听听 No Fault Surfaces

has been providing safe and secure surfaces since 1974. It developed the first poured-in-place rubber safety flooring, making it one of the best custom-color surfacing materials providers for playgrounds. Almost all of the company鈥檚 products contain recycled materials, most of which are eligible for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) credits.

to create your custom color blend of poured-in-place rubber flooring and have it sent along with your quote request.

Key features:

• Offers two types of poured-in-place surfacing: ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) and thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPV)
• 糖心少女 a five-year warranty for poured-in-place floorings
• Enables choosing colors or getting recommendations from staff based on project specifications
• Provides long-lasting warranty coverage
• Requires minimal routine maintenance

2.听听听 Landscape Structures

offers various playground items, from equipment to surfacing solutions. It has championed environmental stewardship since 1998. Its team understands that good design matters in play quality, allowing you to embed various colors and shapes into your desired surfacing material. Regardless of your playground size, expect to get a personalized approach throughout the entire process. to compare different flooring options.

Key features:

• Champions sustainable practices in every project
• Has in-house, experienced designers to create your dream playground surfacing
• Offers 70 distinct color palettes and hundreds of color combinations
• Allows multiple surfacing types in a single playground

3.听听听 FlexGround

is an International Play Equipment Manufacturers Association-certified (IPEMA) provider specializing in playground flooring, splash pads, athletic courts, recreational trails and aquatic parks. Its poured-in-place rubber safety surfacing can be customized with various patterns, colors and your school logo and is available in six types: standard, EnduraFlec, UltraFlex, Xtreme Playground, FlexPlay and FlexBond.

Choose UltraFlex if quality is your main deciding factor, as its two-layer system can protect students using swings and high-impact playground equipment.

Key features:

• Has six types of customizable poured-in-place options
• Offers a comprehensive color chart
• Designs playgrounds that create a three-dimensional play experience for students
• Transforms flat surfaces into multilevel play experiences

4.听听听 Little Tikes Commercial

Consider if you鈥檙e building a school playground from scratch. You can buy custom color surfacing material and equipment for your play area that鈥檚 compliant with Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines, prioritizing accessibility and inclusivity in every project.

If you don鈥檛 know where to start, Little Tikes Commercial staff can guide you through the various surfacing options and their age-appropriateness. Custom color options are available for No Fault庐 Poured-in-Place surfacing, rubber tiles and rubber nuggets.

Key features:

• Offers big sales
• Considers age-appropriateness when suggesting ideal surfacing materials
• Allows customization on various flooring materials

5.听听听 Play & Park Structures

Purposeful play is at the heart of , a Chattanooga, Tenn.-based playground equipment provider servicing schools, parks and recreation centers, faith-based institutions and landscape architects. It specializes in designing playgrounds to support early development and growth among preschoolers, making it an ideal option if your institution mainly caters to this age group. Among its surfacing material options, only poured rubber, shredded rubber and tile flooring allow customization.

Key features:

• Prioritizes inclusive play
• Offers various thicknesses to provide your desired impact attenuation
• Lets you add logos and simple games like hopscotch and tic-tac-toe on poured-in-place rubber

6.听听听 Northwest Playground Equipment Inc.

The family-owned business has been providing playground since 1996. It has worked with various elementary schools, creating inclusive and ADA-compliant play areas. The company also works with manufacturers with LEED certifications to support your school鈥檚 sustainability efforts.

Safety tiles and poured-in-place rubber offer plenty of design and color options, allowing you to create an aesthetically pleasing play area for students.

Key features:

• Offers loose fill and unitary surfacing
• Has color options and landscape features or hills for playground grass
• Provides a free site evaluation
• Employs professionals who can create interactive designs, provide on-site supervision and dedicate long-term support

Things to Consider When Choosing a Custom Color Surfacing Material

How do you know which surfacing material is right for your school? Here are some factors to consider before making a purchase.

Safety

Choose a provider that meets the fall protection standards of a certified playground safety inspector. Ensure your chosen surfacing material is fully tested for various fall heights to reduce the risk of injuries among students.

Accessibility

The ADA states that playground surfacing options must accommodate all individuals, including those using crutches and wheelchairs. Look for a provider that meets or exceeds ADA鈥檚 regulatory standards.

Durability and Maintenance Needs

School playground surfacing must be durable to handle regular use and easy to maintain to reduce the spread of disease-causing germs.

Customization

Work with a company that can turn your vision into reality. Prioritize a provider with a design team that can help make your school playground visually appealing without compromising safety. Consider incorporating educational designs like alphabets, maps, numbers and interactive games to transform your play area into a learning space.

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The role an architect has on student environments can extend well beyond the physical walls of a classroom. Case in point: A new 24,000-square-foot accessible, inclusive playground recently debuted at Williamson Elementary School in Houston鈥檚 Galena Park Independent School District, which serves more than 21,000 students, many of whom are economically disadvantaged. Twelve percent of Williamson Elementary students are enrolled in special education programs. The importance of inclusive design on playground means that all students 鈥� regardless of limitations, developmental issues or impairments 鈥� can experience the same sense of excitement and creativity with their peers, family and faculty. 听

A playground for all鈥�听

The newly opened, $736,000 student playground, designed by Pfluger Architects, is a universally designed, sensory-rich environment that welcomes children of all abilities. The colorful and engaging outdoor space features accessible play equipment that ensures everyone can participate. The project goes beyond minimum accessibility standards to accommodate the widest possible array of physical and cognitive abilities, including rubber surfaces for wheelchairs and walkers, and a variety of equipment and activities that stimulate creativity and help children develop problem-solving skills through play.听

Key elements include a winding sidewalk path with control joints that provide tactile sensory experiences, a climbing sloped hill, and a tunnel for crawling, which encourage exploration and physical activity in a safe and stimulating environment. The project fosters an inclusive community where all children in the district feel supported and encouraged to discover their surroundings in a fun and engaging way.听

The project, which was completed in March 2024, has many unique components that were developed collaboratively between district officials and the Pfluger Architects team to ensure all students have a safe and fulfilling recreational space.听听

鈥淥ne unique aspect is the musical section, where students can sit or lie on the nearby hill and act as an audience, creating a playful performance space. The accessible sidewalk surrounding the playground also serves as a track where students can safely race and play,鈥� said Merri Salazar, project manager at Pfluger Architects.听听

Designing for access听

In addition to these flexible spaces, focusing on students with disabilities was paramount to the success of this inclusive design.听听

鈥淥ne of the key requirements for this project was ensuring the entire playground was wheelchair accessible, not just certain paths,鈥� explained Salazar. 鈥淲e had to carefully manage the grading throughout to ensure that slopes were within acceptable limits, allowing students to freely explore the whole space.鈥�听

For example, the ramp up to the slide was designed with a 1:20 slope ratio, which allowed the Pfluger Architects team to avoid adding guardrails or large landing pads. This helped to keep it looking open and playful while still meeting accessibility standards.听

Now that the facility is completed and being utilized by students, staff, and families, the feedback has been positive and encouraging.听听

鈥淲e received feedback from the client that classes are using the tunnel under the slide to practice sounding out words and letters, with the echo serving as a sensory reinforcement. This feature has become a fun and engaging way to blend learning with play,鈥� Salazar said.听

Inclusive design trends听

While this project certainly is not the first of its kind, it does shine a light on the importance of creating equitable spaces for all students and considering accessibility in all aspects of school construction design and construction. Not only are accessibly designed spaces becoming more commonplace, but being able to adapt these spaces beyond their traditional recreational function is a trend that is likely to continue.听听

鈥淲e鈥檙e definitely seeing a shift in culture. There’s a growing emphasis on creating equitable spaces 鈥� environments that are not only accessible to all but are also versatile and can be used frequently,鈥� Salazar added. 鈥淭he more people who can engage with these spaces, the better, especially when they serve multiple functions, such as outdoor learning environments.鈥�听

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BOSTON, Mass.鈥� Integrating inclusivity into the features and layout of built spaces is not a new concept. Ensuring that new construction and renovation projects provide accessible facilities for individuals with physical disabilities has been a requirement of practically any built space since 1990 when the original Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law by then-president George H.W. Bush.听

While the ADA has become a standard within the built environment since being signed into law, existing buildings are still being improved and renovated to ensure access points suitably address end-user needs. Now, builders and designers of academic spaces need to consider another dimension of accessibility, which is inclusivity. Inclusive spaces not only address physical access, but also how individuals feel once inside. So, for planners and facilities operators in academic settings, ample consideration must be given to how these concerns are addressed.听听

Comfort and Security: A Student Center for Now听

When a construction team focuses on inclusivity, it is crucial to recognize that, unlike ADA compliance, there isn’t a universal solution like installing a ramp to provide entry for a person using a wheelchair. Inclusivity and what it translates to in the built environment requires an open mind to the range of possibilities that will ensure every individual feels heard and welcome.听听

This mindset was front and center when the new LGBTQIA+ Student Resource Center (The Center) at Boston University was designed and built. The Center aims to provide a dedicated space for all LGBTQIA+ students and allies to get support, find their community and create a sense of belonging at BU. The project sprung from the commitment of seven BU students who, in the spring of 2022, formed the LGBTQIA+ BU Student Task Force, a coalition dedicated to making BU more inclusive for LGBTQIA+ students. They were inspired by the University鈥檚 one-time LGBTQIA+ task force for faculty and staff members, whose work culminated in creating the LGBTQIA+ Center for Faculty & Staff in 2021. When embarking on this project, meeting with students and faculty who would be prospective users of the space was critical to understanding what was most important from a features standpoint. And while this phase revealed that things like colors and textures deserve special consideration when building for inclusivity due to the symbolism those features can represent 鈥� both positive and negative 鈥� there are other important factors to weigh. For example:听听

1. Security

The increased need for dedicated spaces for the LGBTQIA+ community carries a unique concern for security. At BU, the team chose to install glass doors with automatic openers that allow occupants to quickly and quietly open and close the space as needed based on personal comfort and outside events that may affect the safety of those within The Center.

2. Flexibility

Much of the feedback that drove the decision to renovate an existing space into The Center was around the need to be heard. Feedback from BU鈥檚 LGBTQIA+ community revealed the need for a space to share emotions, speeches, and other concerns amongst the sanctity of like-minded peers. As such, The Center features a large common area with specially designed flexible furnishings that can be modified to instantly accommodate informal or large-scale presentations.

3. Visibility

Large glass panels were included in the finished space to not only provide ample natural daylighting but also to ensure that students using the Center were seen 鈥� and not just in the physical sense. A key takeaway when considering building materials and layout was that students didn鈥檛 feel like they were being filed away, shuffled to a remote area, or otherwise hidden from view. This sentiment impacted all aspects of the project, from materials selection to communications with subcontractors. Ensuring that features like lighting could be adjusted across a wide array of colors to match students鈥� moods and working with subcontractors who understood the unique concerns of students seeking the comfort of the Center all tie back to the need for visibility of the LGBTQIA+ community. 听听

Choosing a Supportive Construction Team听听

When academic institutions seek to build new facilities or renovate existing ones, an eye toward inclusivity will likely become an ongoing concern from this point forward. We are optimistic that, like the green building movement that spurred building owners to begin integrating sustainable and energy-efficient features regardless of the overall scope, buildings that incorporate inclusive features will become the standard rather than the exception.听听

When deciding how to choose a team that understands these concerns, it鈥檚 important to focus not only on a firm with higher education construction experience but also on one that integrates an institution鈥檚 cultural mission into its own. From working with subcontractors that respect the concerns of the campus community to having a deep bench of suppliers that can provide security and accent features that reflect the needs of students and faculty, it鈥檚 important to choose a construction manager that builds to a high standard while reflecting the values of the academic community.听

Tony Brown is a Project Executive at Chapman Construction/Design. Brown鈥檚 start in construction came when he was just 13, working for his father鈥檚 small construction company in Syracuse, N.Y. He joined Chapman in 2006 and has grown from an assistant construction supervisor to his current project executive role. He serves as Chapman鈥檚 education market leader and understands the importance of logistics, scheduling and occupant safety to ensure minimal disruption to operations. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Marist College, a Building and Construction Technology Certificate from Northeastern University, a Massachusetts Construction Supervisor License and an OSHA 30-Hour Construction Certification. Additionally, he is a Phius Certified Builder and LEED Green Associate.听

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