Learning Environments
The Crucial Role of Flexibility in
21st Learning Environments
“The broader one’s
understanding of the
human experience, the
better design we will have.”
– Steve Jobs
BY G. VICTOR HELLMAN, JR. ED. D.
22 essentials | winter 2016
P
ublic school facilities in the United States are at a critical crossroads. Long gone are the single classroom schools where all
students assembled for instruction. The days of designing and
building schools with the traditional doublestacked corridor are also
fading into history. Today’s educational vocabulary refers to “21st century learning centers”, “community schools”, “school within a school
models” and “virtual schools”.
These examples of the new terminology are but a few of the descriptors used to refer to the facilities that
are being built today. What do these
different descriptors mean, and do
they appropriately describe facility
needs for today’s students? How do
we design facilities to increase the