Creative Learning R&D, From Gensler with Love
Just as in the workplace, designing for learning environments is more complex than meets the eye. Education spaces are changing because our relationship with learning is changing. Millennials and Generation Z view learning as a perpetual state of mind – it doesn’t end after college, and they expect it to be consistently built into the workday. Gensler’s research wing doesn’t disappoint in education markets. The firm’s ongoing research on higher education libraries provides some pretty surprising insights about how students are spending their time. Contrary to the popular view of libraries as collaboration hubs, Gensler found that students are coming to libraries seeking quiet focus time. “While digital and social media and ubiquitous access to the Internet call into question the need to dedicate space to rows and rows of stacks, previous Gensler research points to some aspects – both symbolic and functional – of today’s libraries that endure,” notes …