No doubt most learning in a school occurs in the classroom. But not all. There are cafeterias, gymnasiums, libraries and more to consider when designing interior learning spaces. Here are some facilities that serve the needs of students and teachers well.

1. Good Interiors Take Time

Through the course of more than 15 years, New York-based Butler Rogers Baskett Architects has worked with the administrators at St. Bernard's (a K-9 independent school) in New York to complete a number of projects.

In the late 1980s, an addition to the top floor included an art room, classrooms (SEE IMAGE:) , a computer laboratory, a darkroom, storage areas and a student counseling office.

In 1990, a 3,000-sq.-ft. library was completed. The renovation included reorganization and provision of new stacks to accommodate collection growth as well as new furniture for individual study and group work.

Next, the basement was renovated to provide a new kitchen and dining room. The design of a new sidewalk vault across the entire street frontage provided additional storage space and yielded the space to expand the dining and kitchen facility.

In 1996, a kindergarten and gymnasium were added. (SEE IMAGE:) In building out the partial fifth floor and adding two new floors, cramped conditions were remedied, better adjacencies and circulation were accomplished, and many programs were enhanced.

2. Facility Meets "Open Concept" Educational Philosophy

Chugach Optional School (Anchorage School District in Alaska) was originally constructed in the 1970s in response to an educational philosophy that stresses individual learning, student interaction and a fluid style of curriculum delivery often referred to as "open concept." The school continues to embrace this educational philosophy for K-6 students.

·         Open, L-shaped classrooms provide a variety of learning spaces while facilitating collaboration, team teaching, and multi-class projects.

·         Transition zones, created via cubbies and informal learning spaces, buffer classrooms, and provide critical acoustical separation while maintaining the culture of openness.(SEE IMAGE:)

·         Informal learning spaces, including nooks, crannies, and window seats (SEE IMAGE:), create cozy spaces for students to read, work, and study, celebrating the flexible, student-based curriculum.

·         Flowing space branches off the Main Street, connecting key elements of the educational program.

3. Preschool Embraces Village Square Design

In this Far Hills, N.J.-based project, a new 27,300-sq.-ft. preschool facility was designed as an addition to Far Hills Country Day School's current lower school. The location on the north side of the building is such that each of the pre-K classrooms, located on the upper level, connect directly to the main building and to a dedicated outdoor play area. An extended drive and covered entry provide separate preschool drop off and pick up.

The layout is inspired by Reggio Emillia model, where the classrooms are organized around a central common space, reminiscent of a village square. The central multipurpose room has three large skylights and a strong visual connection to the classrooms through the extensive use of interior storefront. The transparency of the library (SEE IMAGE:) also connects the central space to the north fields.

A three-story addition is set into the site slope, tempering heating and cooling loads, and reducing the addition's visual mass while still allowing for natural light. Multiple sloping roofs reinforce a residential scale.

The project was completed by New York-based Butler Rogers Baskett Architects.

4. Natural Ventilation System Enhances Kindergarten Classrooms

This project modernized and expanded Los Altos (Calif.) School District's Santa Rita Elementary School. Two new kindergarten classrooms and modernized administration and classroom wings, completed by San Francisco-based Gelfand Partners, define and shape an outdoor kindergarten playground and present a new front to the community.

The kindergarten classrooms have doors to the exterior, and they connect through a teacher's office/workroom. Teaching walls pushed out through the building wall provide articulation along the street front.

The architect has developed an automated natural ventilation system (HALO, patent pending) for high-performance classrooms and has implemented it in the school. Louvers with gravity dampers placed low on the walls provide a source of fresh air. Light monitors have north-facing, operable clerestory windows (SEE IMAGE:). Air flow is provided by automated sensors that open the clerestories when indoor temperatures exceed established parameters, and outdoor air temperatures are appropriate. As hot air in the classroom rises and exits through the clerestories, cool air is drawn in through the louvers, creating stack effect flow-through ventilation.

5. A Canvas for Creativity

In the design of the 19,000-sq.-ft. New Canaan Country School, an early childhood center for grades pre-K-1 in New Cannan, Conn., architect Butler Rogers Baskett, New York, worked closely with the teachers to better understand the unique programmatic requirements to support the Reggio Emilia philosophy that the school incorporates into its teaching style. A fundamental aspect of this philosophy is that the building is intended to be a canvas for the children's creativity, not to compete with it.

As a result, light and open spaces are important components that have been incorporated into the building (SEE IMAGE:). The piazza, an indoor courtyard at the center of the building, is an extension of the classrooms and serves as a community gathering place.

6. Flooring Enhances Interior

The 52,000-sq.-ft. Westminster Middle School in Oklahoma City, boasts functional flooring by Lawrence, Mass.-based nora Rubber Flooring. The commons areas of this independent school include 15,000 sq. ft. of noraplan^® astro.

The flooring was selected for its low maintenance and no-wax qualities; however, the design features have also added a bright new boost to the building's corridors, classrooms, and coordinating stairwells. The flooring features stain and slip resistance, comfort underfoot, and excellent footfall sound absorption properties.

Another appealing aspect of the flooring is its many design options, which are showcased particularly well in the school's science rooms. "We wanted the flooring to include visual cutouts of certain sizes so we could use the floor as another measuring tool," explains Westminster Director Patty Phelps. "For example, students can use the 12-in. strip insets to measure their supplies while they're spread out on the floor. Another science room has a pattern of square yard insets which further aid measuring activities." (SEE IMAGE:)

The middle school was designed by Oklahoma City-based Architectural Design Group.

7. An Education in Performing Arts

Dwight Englewood School is a private K-12 school in Englewood, N.J. (SEE IMAGE:) The school's Klein Campus Center is integrated into the campus fabric to define the central campus quadrangle. The structure is connected directly to Schenk Hall, which houses the main auditorium and cafeteria.

The heart of the building holds a 170-seat multi-purpose theater. Both the new and existing stage in Schenk Hall share back-of-house theater spaces, transforming the two buildings into one unified performing arts complex. Public circulation spaces are designed to facilitate student interaction and accommodate large groups during events.

Facing the interior of the campus, a glazed "street" runs the length of the building on both floors, providing circulation, student locker spaces, and study and seating niches overlooking the quadrangle (SEE IMAGE:). Classrooms, music rehearsal spaces, administrative spaces, and an expanded cafeteria are located on the more public side of the building, facing the campus.

The project was completed by New York-based Dattner Architects.

8. Courtyards Integrate Old and New

In the build-out of the master plan for Greenhill Lower School in Dallas, which is a private, K-12 school, a series of courtyard spaces were created that integrate the new facilities with the existing (SEE IMAGE:). Phase one added three new buildings - middle school, fine arts, and the "three chimney" administration building, which reflects the school's history - and renovated the science building. Phase two included a new 1,200-seat gymnasium/natatorium and renovation of the existing field house. Phase three included a new lower school and new upper school building (SEE IMAGE:). The project was completed by Lake|Flato Architects, San Antonio, Texas.

9. Programming, Planning and Designing from the Beginning