Classroom Refit

In the Fall of 2005 we set on a course to redesign our Lab. Stark white walls, bright florescent lights and desks facing all in a row were equally displeasing to students as it was to me. We used the following statement as a guide:

" Nobody sets themselves up like this to work at home."

We sought out the following:

New colors: Visually interesting, soothing, diverse appearance in grades of light.

Lighting: Indirect lighting controllable by each user. Low wattage bulbs. Our goal was to use less energy than the traditional overhead lighting.

Furniture: Comfortable seating. Thanks to Brian Gawlik, that was already accomplished. We have comfortble rolling chairs with lifetime warranties.

Room layout: Promote collaboration between folks and not a teacher centric layout. Create creative challenges to public speaking. Organization was a key factor: We needed storage space to accommodate so many diverse projects and materials, reduce clutter and fit in our space.

We did it!

Thanks to the efforts of three RLab classes, folks in eDesign, detailed cost sheets, student and faculty labor, and a resolve to create a clear, concise proposal our plan was accepted.

Here's a pdf summary of our work.