School ICT Suite Design
ICT Suite Design for Schools
ICT suite design and ICT rooms often have dedicated continuous surface desking to make maximum use of space within a classroom. School ICT suite design works on an ‘open’ layout enabling teachers to interact with students and view screens easily, and for easy circulation. Perimeter desking or ICT suite benching also helps greatly in cabling the computers for power and network access. Modern layouts for ICT classroom furniture will include good circulation space, viewing angles and teaching focal-point to make efficient use of space.
Alternatives include flexible ICT Furniture that offer easy reconfiguration, or furniture designed for multi-purpose classrooms where desks can be quickly converted to regular classrooms without any removal of hardware.
ICT Room Design
ICT room design and refurbishment should start with evaluation of the basics – is the room a dedicated IT space, would flexibility be beneficial, and how do teachers use the room in terms of the learning environment and classroom management. For ICT room design layout is fundamental, as is future-proofing the suite for hardware changes. Safety and tamper-proofing are of high priority. Computer Room design ideas for the appearance is a key factor to ensure the suite is a flagship for the school or college facilities. Consideration should also be given to lighting and sun-angles, acoustics and HVAC when designing an ICT classroom, both to improve comfort and attention for students and to reduce effort and stress for teachers.
Ergonomics should play a part in the ICT suite design. Display screen distance, worksurface height and keyboard arrangement all have sound ergonomic principles to their positioning. Reduced light reflection and dazzle from sunlight need to be factored in for the best computer lab design. The ICT room layout design process considers the viewing angles for students to see the main display/board, and also the preferences of staff in terms of circulation space, layout and visibility of students screens. Seating also plays a role in the workstation, although with short lesson durations of 1 hour or less the demands placed on seating are less exacting. Whatever your criteria Fusion will give you good avice on furniture for your ICT centre and computer layout design.
Educational ICT Suite Design Services
Our ict room design service is a free process and incorporates layout and furniture design, cabling and services, and advice on the best ways to use space effectively. Fusion liaise with construction contractors for a new-build project or integrate our computer room design with ict suite refurbishment works for a unified service covering displays, cabling and power, and lighting as well as ideas for unique interiors, ict furniture and teaching walls. We are experienced in ict suite refurbishment and project manage every element of the scheme. With the growing importance of a computer lab in schools the design and refurbishment must combine the best ideas, versatile layouts and effective learning envionments to be successful.
The new Curriculum and ICT Suite Design
Designing a school ict classroom is changing to reflect updates to the curriculum. Increasingly school computer rooms need to have a mix of spaces. PCs are still the most important component but the room is no longer solely dedicated to screen and keyboard time. Instead a scheme should have a mix of ‘activity based design’ zones. As well as using a PC students are encouraged to apply skills, including coding, to a practical application such as a Crumble set or a model car. Hands-on workbench surfaces and even virtual reality zones are becoming as useful as PC benches in classrooms that have the space.
