Design Forecast 2024: K-12 Education
2024 is finally here! To celebrate the new year, C2AE’s designers shared a few of the trends in K12 learning environments that we believe will carry into 2024 and beyond.
This list has been adapted from C2AE’s 2023 Design Forecast and includes a combination of new trends, along with many that have remained popular.
Trend 01 | Hands-on Learning Labs
As career and technical education (CTE), or vocational education, continues to rise in popularity, so do labs that support hands-on learning. Over the years, C2AE has designed quite a few of these spaces, from project labs to cosmetology studios to ambulance and nursing simulators. These labs enable students to explore a career path and learn by doing.
Battle Creek Public Schools Simulation Lab
Trend 02 | Clever Cost-Cutters
Due to inflation, school districts’ construction dollars will need to stretch further in 2024. By working with a trusted designer who understands your operations and goals, your district can still create high-quality learning environments. Modular design is one way to make your facilities easier to maintain and less expensive to build. Another method is to maximize your building’s flexibility so that each space can serve several purposes; no square foot will be wasted.
Trend 03 | Spatial Flexibility
On that note, well-designed learning environments in 2024 will be able to transform to suit a variety of pedagogies. Dynamic educational buildings offer easy-to-move furniture, multiple configurations, and rooms separated by simple dividers. This design style allows educators to adapt their classrooms from session to session based on curriculum, activities, and students. Plus, flexible buildings tend to be more sustainable and affordable.
Trend 04 | School Security
Students, teachers, and parents need to have peace of mind. There's no question that security continues to be a top priority in education design. Secure entry vestibules are one example of how districts maintain security even as school facilities become more community-friendly. Designers can also integrate building features that lower the threat posed by active shooters.
Pattengill Biotechnical Magnet School Secure Entry
Trend 05 | Breakout Spaces
Group projects? No problem! Emboldening students to explore collaborative study, breakout spaces are highly flexible, informal zones that feel both academic and social.
Portage Northern Middle School
Trend 06 | Integrated Technology
Our world is expanding with the help of technology. There are a variety of software and hardware possibilities that will allow teachers to streamline lessons, students to work remotely, and classes to interact across different countries.
Trend 07 | Community Connections
Public schools are community amenities, so the entire community should benefit from them. From walking tracks to kitchens to tennis courts, many school spaces are now designed with more than K12 users in mind. Schools can also benefit from these community ties by bringing in local business partners to present career opportunities to students. When schools foster community connections, residents also tend to be more passionate about passing bonds.
Trend 08 | Inside Out
Schools in colder climates have traditionally limited their outdoor features to playgrounds, athletic fields, and maybe a garden. All the while, we have understood that time in nature enhances learning and improves mental health. Outdoor classrooms are not a new concept, but more of these spaces are beginning to pop up in New York and Michigan, where cold weather dominates much of the school year. Outdoor learning can happen all year long.
North School Outdoor Classroom
Trend 09 | Outside In
Similarly, school designers are continuing to find new ways to bring nature into school buildings through biophilic design. Natural colors and materials, large windows, and décor are all ways to enhance the presence of nature in any space.
Trend 10 | Air Quality
HVAC became a huge topic of conversation during the pandemic, and the conversation will continue into 2024. School administrators, faculty, staff, parents, and students care deeply about air circulation and comfort. As climate change extends the warmer months into spring and fall, more communities have deemed school air conditioning to be non-negotiable.
Trend 11 | Sustainability
Educators are tasked with preparing the next generation for the future, whatever it may hold. Environmental stewardship is irrevocably tied to your mission—and ours, as designers. C2AE has a team of LEED Accredited Professionals who can guide your district toward sustainable buildings and sites.
