1652336406286 Amtab Edspaces 2019 Furniture Island 1200

EDspaces to Feature Modern Cafe and Classroom Settings

July 17, 2019

The Education Market Association event EDspaces is an educational facilities show/expo Oct. 23-25 in Milwaukee. Learn more about the event and its offerings.

EDspaces—the Education Market Associations’ educational facilities expo—revealed designs for its EDspaces Café, where attendees of the Oct. 23-25 event in Milwaukee will eat lunch. The three distinct designs feature next-generation school cafeteria and campus dining settings.

Cafeterias are transforming beyond places to eat during food service, notes Jim McGarry, president/CEO of the Education Market Association, in a news release. He explains that the cafeteria serves as a gathering place for students to talk, collaborate and learn, in addition to eating.

In the spaces, attendees will experience the multiple uses of the modern-day cafeteria. All three spaces on display feature various seating options, including seating of different sizes, heights and configurations. This allows for groups of different sizes to gather for different tasks and seating preferences.

The three areas featured are:

1. Café Seating Area 258 by AmTab

2. Café Seating Area 1458 by mediatechnologies

3. Café Seating Area 1258 by Palmer Hamilton

EDspaces Classroom Designs

This summer, the six EDspaces classroom designs were also announced, where attendees can experience firsthand modern approaches to learning through innovation in planning, design and products. Themes include having different spaces and zones designated for different activities and learning styles, biophilic design, and more active and engaged learning.

“These spaces exemplify what is happening in the very best schools in the world,” says Adrienne Dayton, vice president of communication and education for the Education Market Association. “EDspaces provides a fantastic showcase for the products that make these spaces come alive. In partnership with the architecture and design community, schools and universities can work together to design educational environments for the changing need of students of all ages.”

Determined by a jury of past winners, designers, architects and school purchasing officials, the winning classrooms are:

Activate Classroom by MA+ Architecture

This space was designed to promote an active classroom and lifestyle through movement and learning. The setting features a sensory path, flexible furniture, vibrant colors and a fluid carpet pattern.

Cultivate. Transform. Flourish. by Demco Inc. and Plunkett Raysich Architects LLP

Biophilic-inspired design brings nature inside through three distinct zones:

1. The forest edge offers soft seating, tactile tables, interactive display boards and living walls of green plants.

2. The clearing is in the center of the room with flexible seating, work surfaces and media tools for individual, small-group or large-group learning.

3. The glen on the far side of the room has larger tables and a private learning space, with materials to support focus, learning and well-being.

[Related: The Beauty and Security of the New Sandy Hook]

Future Ready Learning Space by NorvaNivel

An agile space to support learners and educators is achieved through flexible, ergonomic furniture and zones for specific learning styles and outcomes. Colors and textures stimulate learning.

The Game Changer by RATIO | OnPoint

The classroom is designed around a central focal point and engages the learner. Zones of the arena-style classroom divided into groupings encourage engagement with interactive technology, such as:

  • The presenter and the visual display in lecture mode
  • The individual zones in a collaborative mode
  • A combination of the two in competition mode when the zones are matched against each other in an inquiry-based activity

A variety of furniture offers a range of vantage points and learning preferences.

Learning Happens Everywhere Classroom by Zimmerman Architectural Studios—Milwaukee

The classroom is a tool for students to develop lifelong learning. This is achieved through flexible components that support traditional and more active learning.

Rolling furniture and varied learning zones encourage mobility. Through technology, the teacher guides students in how to learn.

[Check out these education products]

THRIVE! Classroom by Legat Architects

Showcasing the international WELL building standard and Living Building Challenge standard, this environment demonstrates comfort, mind, fitness and nourishment initiatives. Every surface is a learning surface. Users will discover how to create a healthier environment through their surroundings.

New this year is the EDspaces Classroom Open House on Oct. 23. Attendees will be able to visit all six designed classrooms and talk with the design team about what went into the planning of the space and how the products encourage flexible and collaborative spaces.

After the show, the products from the classrooms are used in various ways, Dayton notes. This includes being returned to the manufacturer, purchased by local dealers or donated to local schools in need through a program organized by the Education Market Association in cooperation with local charities.

Curios Unboxed at EdSpaces
Stop by the interiors+sources exhibit Curios Unboxed during EdSpace. We will be hosting an experiential learning environment where EdSpaces attendees can interact with hundreds of material samples and learn about design solutions from materials experts. 

Curios from interiors+sources is a free subscription box service delivering material samples directly to design firms. Each box is filled with samples based on a monthly theme—sustainably certified, color-of-the-year, big + bold, etc. We’re bringing Curios to life with this interactive exhibit.

Read next: What Trends are Driving Campus Master Planning

About the Author

Valerie Dennis Craven | Director of Accounts, Stamats & Contributing Writer

Valerie is an experienced journalist with an emphasis in the B2B market. As the former director of editorial services for i+s, she led the editorial staff in producing the multiple assets we offer: articles, podcasts, webinars, social media, CEUs and more. Valerie enjoys writing about technology and the way people work.

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