As designers, we are seeing firsthand the extraordinary and lightning-quick changes in the education world. Related forces are now affecting spaces for research and innovation.
Recently, at a symposium held by the Association for Learning Environments, I and the other speakers explored how education design enables the next generation of students to tackle our society’s most compelling issues once they’ve entered the workforce. The “how” of designing schools—or any next-generation environment—gains new definition when we consider the project’s wider context. To expand my vision, I like to use a perspective that comes from journalism: the “Who, What, Where, When, How and Why” of any narrative.
In order to figure out how to design these future environments, we must start by exploring whywe design them. Society’s challenges and opportunities demand an evolved sensitivity to their solutions. If we don’t empower the next generation to enter the workforce with foresight and creativity, those students simply won’t keep up.
Also, who are we designing for? This next generation is sometimes called Generation A—or as Ibrahim Ibrahim of our partner firm Portland Design has it, Generation C. They demand control, they have the power to choose like never before, they love to customize what’s in front of them, and they insist on collaborating. These students are tough customers yet they’re totally invigorating to a designer: they scrutinize everything, they demand integrity and openness, they want entertainment and play in work, education, and leisure.
What kind of spaces are we designing anyway? To be honest, we don’t currently know. Sixty-five percent of children entering primary school today will end up working in job types that don’t even exist yet! I’m awed by imagining the kind of learning environments that can anticipate these future workspaces. Take, for instance, the pending revolution in quantum computing, which may solve problems that would currently take the lifespan of the universe to solve. There’s also the convergence of mechanical engineering and biology, which is creating new hybrid materials, and the fact that researchers can use Big Data to reverse the traditional cycle of biotech research, generating discoveries not from the bench but from real people. Simply put, today’s science is outpacing the ability of traditional labs to support it.