Re-Examining Future-Ready Learning Environments

Imagine a child you know is in kindergarten. They will graduate in 2038 and may remain active in their careers until the 2080s. What will the world look like? What will be needed during a lifetime of extraordinary change? How must education evolve to prepare them?

Kara Rise, ALEP/IIDA, ATSR Planners/Architects/Engineers

A Conversation with A4LE/EDmarket CEO John Ramsey

In October 2025, and the Board of Directors of the Education Market Association (EDmarket) and the Association for Learning Environments (A4LE) voted to join forces to create a powerful new association dedicated to reimagining where and how students learn. Read more on how the merger of two respected organizations in the education industry is accelerating innovation and expanding opportunities to design learning spaces that inspire, engage, and empower every student.

Adrienne Dayton, EDmarket

Prototyping the Future of Teaching: Why Schools Should Experiment Before They Build

Prototyping is not a preliminary step in the design process. It is how schools explore and refine the ways of working together that will define a shared future. It is how we move from designing buildings to designing experiences worth inhabiting. And it begins with a shift in mindset.

Christian Long, [bon]fire

AI+Learning+Space: A New Species of Learning Experience (Part 1)

The rapid and exponential growth of AI in our lives is shaking us to the core. It is a mixed bag of excitement and fear as its exponential rise is creating so much disruption and change. As with every industry, education is also being challenged by AI. Should education engage with AI or disengage it? Will it make us better and smarter, or numb and dependent? Will it lift the elites or all boats equitably? So many questions.

Tomas Jimenez-Eliaeson, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C, CDT, Little

Designing for Change, Not Just Completion: Lessons Learned from the School Designed like a Children’s Museum

As the education environment continues to evolve, the next phase of school design will be defined less by bold concepts and more by evidence, reflection, and adaptability. In practice, the schools that succeed over time tend to be the ones where teams stay involved, listening, adjusting, and resisting the urge to declare victory too early. Because opening day isn’t the finish line. It’s the starting point.

Jeremy Dwyer, AIA, NCARB, CDT, CannonDesign

Rethinking Classroom Design Through MovementHow the Brain–Body Connection Can Transform Modern Learning

Today’s educators and designers have an opportunity to rethink classroom environments in ways that better align with how children’s brains actually function. Movement is not a distraction from learning — it is a powerful driver. By integrating flexible furniture, standing options, and small opportunities for micro-movement throughout the school day, classrooms can become environments that support concentration, emotional regulation, and inclusion for all students.

Heidi Välimäki, MUZO

A4LE Regional Conferences: Big Ideas. Local Connections

A4LE Regional and Chapter Conferences bring together professionals shaping the future of learning environments in your region. These events offer a convenient way to learn, connect, and stay engaged with your local A4LE community. 

Kate Broderick, A4LE

Project Vitality: Encouraging Physical Activity for Cognitive Performance and Engagement in Learning Environments

In recent decades, an increasing body of scientific research has concluded that declining human activity in industrialized economies has led to chronic pain, obesity, arthritis and other ailments. Likewise, growing data sets are also suggesting how these physiological shifts and behaviors are affecting our brains, in terms of energy levels, mood, concentration and engagement. The overall picture is that our physical behaviors at work, and at schools and universities, is influencing our physical health and our cognitive performance.

Andrew Kim, Steelcase Learning  |  Brook Kennedy, Virginia Tech

Against the Current: Designing a Career Academy for Community Renewal

At the Against the Current Career Academy (ACCA), tomorrow does not begin after graduation. It begins each morning when students unlock the café doors, stock store shelves, care for young children, or harvest produce from tribal lands. The building stands at the heart of town not as an endpoint, but as a current — steady, intentional, and powerful — moving the community forward.

Cynthia Ray, IIDA, NCIDQ, WELL, BVH Architecture

The Design Besties Take on Teacher Lounge Transformations

Attendees at EDspaces last fall in Columbus may have noticed a high-energy team on a mission to change the world one teacher lounge at a time. Known as the Design Besties, this nonprofit collective of designers is focused on improving educator wellbeing through thoughtful, collaborative space transformation projects. The Design Besties bring together designers, educators, industry partners, and local communities to create wellness-centered environments that recognize and support teachers. Their work aligns closely with EDmarket’s mission of connecting people, products, and ideas to improve learning environments.

Adrienne Dayton, EDmarket

Integrating Arts Education into CTE Programs

When people think of career and technical education, they typically think of training in highly technical fields, often in STEM-related disciplines such as health care, engineering, and IT. But a growing number of schools are adding arts into their CTE programs, and for good reason: There are a large number of jobs that rely on creative skills, and CTE can help prepare students for a wide range of career opportunities in the arts and creative industries.

Sue Ann Highland, PhD, School Specialty  |  Wesley Ferreira, Colorado State University

Outdated by Design: Reimagining School Restroom Safety Through Prevention and Privacy

Much of the built environment has been shaped by preparing for events that cannot be avoided. That history has served architects well, but not all risks are inevitable. In school restrooms, many of the most common forms of harm — harassment, bullying, vandalism, and misuse — are behavioral and preventable. That distinction matters.

Kerri Brady

Why the Furniture Industry is Preventing Student-Centered Outcomes

Learning Space Integration provides a framework for building that system intentionally. It recognizes that architecture, furniture, instructional practices, and operational systems must work together if learning environments are going to deliver on their promise. For architects and designers, this shift represents a powerful opportunity.

Kevin Stoller, Kay-Twelve

Invisible Strain: Rethinking Schools for Teachers with DisabilitiesPart Two of a Research Exploration Focused on Forwarding Inclusive Design for Education

From the outset, this research was intended not only to generate insight but to translate evidence into strategies that can meaningfully shape practice. Educators, particularly those living with disabilities or temporary physical limitations, navigate work environments largely designed for children. As districts across the country grapple with teacher retention and educator well-being, addressing the spatial and environmental factors that contribute to strain is increasingly critical.

Chloe Hosid, Assoc. AIA, M.Sc., Corgan  |  Melissa Hoelting, Assoc. AIA, WELL AP, ASID, Corgan  |  Yashaswini Karagaiah, Assoc. AIA, WELL AP, LEED GA, Corgan