Evidence-based design (EBD) has been around for years in the healthcare industry. It is a technique used in the process of designing spaces people typically go to feel better. However, EBD applies to areas not commonly known for their treatments or furnishings. In these spaces, the effects are just as apparent. In fact, we’ve got the test scores to prove it.
Though a school building is not the place most people come to heal, there are ways to create an educational space that will make it feel as such. Education, health, and satisfaction improve significantly when using the design techniques research has given us.
How Do We Know EBD Really Works?
Firstly, EBD’s place in education starts in 1999 with the Daylighting in Schools study. This research involves 2,000 classrooms across school districts in three states. It measures the math and reading scores of some 21,000 students1. It finds that natural light sources in classrooms have a positive effect on the students’ scores.
Moreover, the research doesn’t stop there. There is a “growing collection of information linking colors with child behavior; classroom layouts safety with effective teaching; and finish materials with safety.”1 Since different colors affect our mood, keeping them controlled in a classroom setting is especially vital. For example, creating blue and red areas to distinguish between low and high-energy spaces.
How Can We Use EBD Strategies?
This goes hand in hand with creating effective, fluid layouts. Especially so, since students only hear 75% of what is said in the average classroom2. Having versatile workspaces makes it easier for students to function in school. To learn, study, and interact in the manner that works best for them. Additionally, even room temperature and air quality can have adverse effects on students. Poor air quality or being too hot or cold in the classroom can lead to lower scores.
Finally, from “student and teacher performance, absenteeism and health, operational issues and approaches to reducing energy costs and water consumption, [EBD] covers so much more than creating environments in which students thrive,” says Daniel R. Mader, AIA, CEFP, LEED-AP2. EBD has a wide variety of applications. The scope of its impact continues to grow as the industry adopts it across new platforms.
In Conclusion
For more information on evidence-based design’s uses in education and how you can make a difference in your classroom, download our free pdf here. To view our education product line, visit our education page.
1: Architecture 3.0: The Disruptive Design Practice Handbook, “Nourishing disruption through evidence based design” https://books.google.com/books?id=KV5KAgAAQBAJ
2: “Evidence-Based Design Influences Interior Design” by Ellen Kollie https://webspm.com/Articles/2013/07/01/Evidence-Based-Design.aspx
3: “Classroom Design for Active Learning” https://www.british-gypsum.com/evidence-space/learn/classroom-design-for-active-learning
