Recent developments in the field of teaching raise important issues about how learning environments are designed. Many schools are rethinking not only what is taught and how, but also what kind of environment will best stimulate students to be active learners.
We partner with schools to provide exhibits and displays that spark curiosity and inspire engagement with their classroom subjects.
For example, we engineered, fabricated and installed the two-story, state of-the-art Wonderment Center in an elementary school in Florida. Elements included large-format graphics, interactive exhibits and 3D artifacts, such as an interactive pendulum and a rocket launch demonstration. Each exhibit was engineered and built to withstand daily interaction with students. Custom, environmentally friendly wall murals helped the school meet LEED® Platinum certification requirements.
In another specialty fabrication project, we enhanced the Youth Services and Young Adult departments within a brand-new public library.
The children’s library provides an interior landscape of learning through a series of Dragon Trees. These trees provide soaring canopies under which children can interact, read and explore.
We worked closely with the design team, providing engineering and fabrication services for the towering Dragon Trees, as well as the entire project. These permanent constructions involved significant overhead structures that require detailed engineering review, with a series of Baltic birch panels assembled and suspended to create tree-like structures. We used a variety of textures with laminate coverings, specialty materials (e.g., heat-sensitive) and embroidered graphics, as well as game boards where children can play.
The project was recognized in the 2011 Design Excellence Awards by the American Society of Interior Designers – Illinois Chapter, who awarded it first place in the Institutional category.