How Your Classroom Design Could Be on Display at EDspaces 2020

The Education Market Association (EDmarket) is looking for classroom designs that focus on the future of learning environments.

For the third consecutive year, EDmarket invites designers and architects to submit proposals to design and outfit one of six EDsession classrooms at EDspaces 2020, Nov. 11-13 in Charlotte, NC.

If chosen, designers will be tasked with transforming a typical convention center meeting room at EDspaces into an engaging space for learning. Proposals should be submitted online by April 30.

What Your Classroom Designs Should Include

The finished classrooms at the show will allow attendees to experience modern approaches to classroom design, and to test different products and presentation styles.

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This year, the selection committee encourages submitted designs to be tied together by a theme.

Photo: Designers will be tasked with transforming a typical convention center meeting room at EDspaces 2020 into an engaging learning environment that’s comfortable for adult learners; Credit: Courtesy of EDmarket

Designs will also be reviewed for:

Aesthetics
Overall functionality

Vendor engagement
Relevance to the future of educational facilities
Flexibility of the learning space

“We’re looking for a combination of aesthetically pleasing—it should have a wow factor when people walk in, and they know it’s something different—but also be cohesive by a theme [and] colors, and then also be very functional,” says Adrienne Dayton, vice president of communications and education for EDmarket.

She adds that classrooms should be comfortable for adult learners (i.e. the show’s attendees).

“We do encourage designers to show, perhaps in the corners or around the perimeter, other displays to show how designs or products would work for young children in, say, a pre-K classroom,” Dayton says. “We don’t expect our adult learners to sit in little chairs and get much out of their own learning experience. That’s why we specify the education space should be primarily for adult learners.”

Dayton also recommends that designs have great sightlines for attendees to see any technology or screens the designers will showcase, as well as the presenters themselves. The rooms should also be conducive to breakaway discussions afterward.

For more specifics on what proposal require, visit www.ed-spaces.com/education/call-for-classrooms.

[On Topic: Products for Educational Facilities]

Why Participate in EDspaces

Submitting a proposal for the competition and then implementing the design at the show is a major undertaking, Dayton says, but it reaps myriad rewards.

“It’s a great opportunity to work with other partners and get your firm’s name out there,” she says. “It’s a great marketing effort.”

Photo: Six designs will be chosen for EDspaces 2020. Standout designs will include great sightlines for any technology, screens or presenters during the show; Credit: Courtesy of EDmarket

If your design is chosen for one of the six classrooms at the show, benefits include:

A video of the finished classroom at the show that you can share/use
An article in an EDmarket magazine that will highlight your experience with the competition and thought process behind your design
Branded signage at the show

EDspaces webpage dedicated to the winning designs, including links to the teams’ websites

“It’s a lot of work, but there’s a lot to be gained from just being one of the leaders in this space and being known for having innovative designs,” Dayton says. “And decision-makers will get to see their work, try all the products, ask questions and follow up afterward.”

Coming Soon

Designers should also be on the lookout for EDmarket’s call for café seating areas. Last year at EDspaces, the association had three firms each design a “next-generation school cafeteria” where attendees could sit down and eat during the show. This year, it will be a competition, similar to the EDsessions classrooms, for the first time.