To deliver education projects that will serve students and communities for years to come, designers often become lifelong learners themselves
By Lindsey Coulter
As design techniques and methodologies evolve with education trends and emerging research on student success, designers are challenged to develop buildings and spaces that will endure for decades, while remaining flexible enough to adapt to changing needs and approaches.
For the 2025 Architects Roundtable, 91视频 welcomes experts from across the country and the K-12 to higher education spectrum to speak on recent shifts in education design, important lessons they have learned over the years and the trends they anticipate.
Lori Cowles AIA, ALEP, LEED AP
Cowles is a principal at HMFH Architects with 32 years of experience designing sustainable K-12 schools that support student well-being and accommodate a range of learning and teaching modalities. She is currently working on an all-new 409,000-square-foot high school in Arlington, Mass., that will be completed across four phases on an occupied site.
Jason Lembke AIA, NCARB
Lembke, group principal and national K-12 education design leader for DLR Group, has decades of experience in planning, programming and design. He recently completed an arts-focused elementary school, integrating a community porch component for students that also serves as an expression of community and purpose.
Robert Siegel, FAIA
Siegel established his private practice in 1991 after earning a Master of Science in Architecture from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Architecture from Syracuse University. He has taught architectural design and building technology at Parsons School of Design, Syracuse University and the Boston Architectural Center, among others, and is the former chair of the AIA New York Chapter Committee on the Environment. Siegel is currently in design development on the Tiffin University Residential Village project, a 450-bed hall in northern Ohio.
Peter Verne, AIA, LEED AP
Verne, senior associate and senior architectural designer at FCA, examines the benefits and complexities of retrofitting higher education facilities in response to changing pedagogy, technology and energy performance. His recent renovation work on Farmingdale State College鈥檚 Thompson Hall increased the building鈥檚 thermal performance without modifying its historic exterior and added modern HVAC and IT systems.
SCN: How has evolving research on how students learn changed the way you design education spaces?
Cowles: Studies prove that we all learn differently, and physical spaces need to support this diversity. At HMFH, we work closely with educators to create a variety of spaces within proximity to each other to enable fluid and flexible movement throughout the school day.
Lembke: How we shape space鈥攊ts volume, orientation, color, visual complexity, materiality, resources and relationships to other spaces鈥攊s more clearly identifiable thanks to the availability of evolving research. That knowledge becomes foundational to our technical vernacular; however, without empathy and consideration of broader factors that are unique to every place and circumstance, we may settle for simply 鈥渂etter than before鈥� at the expense of creating generational value and elevating the student experience through great design.
Siegel: Neuroscience and educational research have helped us prioritize natural light, appropriate acoustics, thermal comfort and air quality … instead of just packing buildings full of an assortment of amenities. Hagar Goldberg’s research in 鈥淕rowing Brains, Nurturing Minds鈥擭euroscience as an Educational Tool to Support Students’ Development as Life-Long Learners鈥� demonstrates how “formal and informal learning, which generates long-term and accessible knowledge, is mediated by neuroplasticity to create adaptive structural and functional changes in brain networks.” This understanding that experience-dependent neuroplasticity is at full force during school years presents what Goldberg calls a “tremendous educational opportunity.” We use research heavily to intentionally create environments that are “human-brain-friendly” and “ride the neuroplasticity wave” by providing varied stimuli and adaptable spaces that support a variety of learning experiences.
Verne: The increasing acceptance of active learning models has impacted higher education space programming and design. At its most basic concept, the flexibility required for active and self-directed group learning classrooms calls for a larger footprint, about 20% more per student, than traditional didactic teaching spaces. I am aware of discussions around learning styles鈥攙isual, auditory, reading/writing, kinesthetic鈥攂ut I think most professors incorporate multiple methods to impart information. I can鈥檛 say it has had a spatial impact on the design of learning spaces, other than perhaps increasing the number of spaces programmed for active learning methods as inherently more flexible.
SCN: What is on the horizon for education design?
Cowles: We see a continual push for more sustainable materials and efficient systems. I may just be being hopeful, but buildings are getting more complicated to operate, even the controls for lighting (gone is the on-off switch). So, a trend toward simplification and more user-friendly operations would be great.
Lembke: I see the school of the future as a true resource center and a cornerstone of generational value to its community. Entrepreneurialism and rapidly evolving technology will allow students to realize their passion at a younger age than ever before. We see career and technical education fostering applied and authentic learning opportunities, specialized spaces that support advancing science and healthcare, and the ubiquity of technology creating interdisciplinary opportunities. The arts and self-expression through music, drama, etc., are here to stay, too. I hope that we see fewer 鈥渃opies鈥� of schools that support decreasing modalities of learning and increase our time and attention on the design process to develop purposeful and personalized solutions.
Siegel: I anticipate accelerated integration of wellness and mental health supports into the physical fabric of learning environments. This goes beyond dedicated counseling spaces to include sensory-considerate design throughout facilities, biophilic elements that reduce stress, and environments that encourage movement and connection with nature. The mental health crisis among young people demands that we rethink fundamental aspects of educational environments.
Verne: Competition among institutions for undergraduate students is more palpable than ever. To continue to thrive, universities need to sharpen their approaches to attracting students. This is not a call for more climbing walls or student life amenities (although there is a place for those as well). Rather, it requires a clear understanding of who their students are, why they choose to be there and how it aligns with the institution鈥檚 mission. Most colleges and universities already do this as part of their strategic planning. The stakes are only getting higher.
See the full interview and more insights in the .