When I was a young student, we sat in rows of uncomfortable wooden desks, the tablet scratched with heavy metal bands, occasional curse words and the teenage professions of love and dating in the form of initials inside crude hearts. School, university and classroom design has come a long way. And my younger self wouldn’t recognize a classroom in a modern school.
A visit to EDspaces last week proved that the old wood desks are gone, replaced by clusters of adjustable tables and soft seating. Yes, sofas and soft seating products are making their way into the classroom as educators rethink learning spaces. Classrooms aren’t as utilitarian as they used to be. The latest thinking in classroom design is that if a space is made comfortable and inviting, it will create an environment conducive to learning.
Standing at the intersection of educational facility planning and design is EDspaces, an event that has established itself as the premier show dedicated to transforming learning environments. EDspaces is a convergence point for architects, designers, facility planners, educational administrators, distributors, and the manufacturers and reps who work with them. Held this year in Houston at the George R. Brown Convention Center, EDspaces continues to be a well-attended and important show, especially as education has become a growing segment for designers and contract interiors companies.
While you might think that government spending dried up for schools post-COVID, schools are still working through the pandemic aid. Schools received $13.2 billion from the CARES Act in March 2020; $54.3 billion, from the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act in December 2020; and $122 billion from the American Rescue Plan, March 2021. In total, schools received more than $190 billion in aid — that’s a lot of potential commercial furniture and classroom design work.
So it should come as no surprise that major office furniture makers like Steelcase, Global and HON were at EDspaces with their educational brands and products. Other brands like KI are educational furniture leaders who also sell into the office, healthcare and government markets. The expo also had its share of companies that focus only on the education market, brands like Virco, Academia Furniture Industries, Toledo Furniture, VS and Smith System, brands that designers not in the market might not even recognize if they don’t work in the segment.
It was clear from the expo and all the educational panels and speeches that it is a market going through a profound period of change. “There has been more change in this industry in the last few years than there has been in the prior 30,” said David Schmidt, a national accounts manager for Jonti-Craft, a Minnesota-based school furniture maker.
EDspaces is a show where smaller brands can make a big splash in this specialty market. The Nook Sensory Shelter won Best in Show Award in the 2024 EDspaces & Learning By Design Product Innovation Awards. A panel of four education practice-based judges reviewed and evaluated the entries submitted on criteria including aesthetics, innovation, impact, and more. Selected finalists then live-pitched their products onsite at the EDspaces. Nook’s Stewart Brown said it was an important award for the company.
“I’m so pleased that the jury connected with the Nook Sensory Shelter, which creates a calming space within the school environment,” he said. “Nook offers students a place to retreat, self-regulate and relax. Schools are starting to understand the importance of supporting neurodiverse students with products like Nook. Education spaces are evolving and improving and Nook is happy to be a part of these changes.”
Neurodiversity was a hot topic at EDspaces, but so were ideas exploring the way learning is changing. Every classroom now includes technology, but an increasing number of them also have maker spaces or spots where students can explore and create.
“Teachers and schools are changing the type of instruction, so they need to change the environment as well,” said Christina Counts, vice president of education and marketing at MiEN, a Grand Rapids-based educational furniture specialist.
Companies like AMS are adapting to the changing market. AMS supplies lab furniture — think heavy duty furniture for serious laboratory work at research institutions and college chemistry labs. Don Nelson, one of the company’s owners, said the 50-year-old business is beginning to outfit high school, middle school and elementary school classrooms with a lighter-scale version of its lab products as they build out maker spaces and STEM-focused areas of the school.
“This is the first time we’ve been back at the show in 10 years,” he said. “It used to be all wood library furniture and desks, but there are different people here now — more designers.”
Schools are also supporting the changing interests of their students. E-sports — competitive computer gaming — is exploding with popularity. According to Fortune, the e-sports industry in the United States quadrupled in revenue between 2018 and 2022. The global esports market was valued at $1.96 billion in 2023, and is expected to reach $5.17 billion by 2029.
MiEN was showing its shoutcasting station at EDspaces, which can be easily reconfigured to create other spaces. Shoutcasters are similar to play-by-play announcers for traditional sports, but for e-sports. They describe what’s happening in the game, analyze player decisions, and generate excitement. Educational furniture maker Muzo devoted its main stand to its collection of e-sports furnishings.
One of the biggest shifts in classroom design is creating flexible spaces, said Richard Gomez, senior regional manager at Lakeshore Learning Materials. The Long Beach, Calif. company’s focus is on flexible instructional environments.
“Small group instruction, furniture on casters, floor seating, standing desks, having a couch in the classroom — all these things would have been unthinkable a few years ago,” he said. “We need to meet students where they are so they can focus on learning.”
KI used EDspaces to launch a new product — its Cogni student chair. Cogni was designed to enhance student engagement and inclusivity. The chair incorporates elements such as frame flex and back articulation, and an integrated heel wheel for controlled mobility. Additionally, it features a tactile surface for sensory engagement, catering to neurodivergent students.
Many furniture makers are beginning to recognize that products that work in the office can work in the classroom too. Special-T has exhibited at EDspaces for the last three years, said CEO Ian Hicks. While education is not the company’s primary focus, it is a growing part of its business, he said. Special-T has educational furniture products like its Elevate table, but it also has products like its white boards that work in multiple vertical markets.
“EDspaces gets us in front of a different group of designers,” he said. “We are here to change perceptions — to let people know that we are here to support the education market as well.”
Safco was another company showing off how its products can be used in educational settings. The company was there boost its profile among designers that specialize in education, said Stuart Johnson, director of sales and customer care. “We are starting to make people better aware of the categories we are in, including education. Not only do we have market-specific products like our Cozi classroom chair, we also have a full line of receptacles an lounge furniture. There’s a lot we can do,” he said.
In the past, schools thought little about ergonomics, but that’s changing, said Su Pak, director of marketing at 9to5 Seating. 9to5 exhibited at EDspaces to introduce designers and educators to its ergonomic seating that works in the classroom, like its HÅG Celi chair, perfect for lecture halls and training rooms.
“Teachers need ergonomic options in the classroom as well. The HÅG Capisco chair is great for the front of the classroom,” she said.
Platinum Visual Solutions exhibited at EDspaces to show how schools can utilize wall space to make classrooms more efficient. In addition to its whiteboards, the company displayed four wall types that could be used in the classroom: EdTechWall, Sensory Wall, Jobs Wall and IDEAtion Wall using its P360 product. The product helps teachers gain back some floor space through concealed storage, said Gregg Steliga, executive vice president of sales.
Since most of the furniture is for children, EDspaces is a fun and colorful show. ECR4Kids showed off products like caterpillar-shaped tunnels that children can crawl through and floor cushions shaped like logs. Jenni’s Rescue Ranch, a local dog sanctuary, was at EDspaces with a bunch of puppies that gave attendees a chance to recharge from the busy show.
And what would an education show be without a little education for attendees? There was a number of informative presentations throughout the show and chances for designers to learn about the latest in educational design. There were also four Designed Learning Spaces — full classrooms built out in some of the convention center meeting rooms.