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50 Unusual Learning Environments

From Exotic Animal Nurseries to Upcycled Aircraft Classrooms

— December 16, 2013 — Art & Design
The days of one-room schoolhouses with chairs and desks affixed to the floors are over — these unconventional learning environments are open, airy, colorful and enable kids to move. Rigid furniture in schools is becoming a thing of the past, since it’s more valuable for classrooms to be able to reconfigure desks in rows for tests or clusters for group assignments.

As schools become more equipped with devices like tablets over computers, this also enables flexibility and more adaptable spaces.

Kids learn in a variety of ways and if teachers are able to adapt their classrooms to suit the needs of auditory, visual and kinaesthetic learners, the educational experience is all the more rich for the kids. Some of the most interesting designs may be far from the images of school you remember as a child — the environments might even look more like playgrounds than traditional classrooms, which seems to be precisely the point.
4.3
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
50
Sculpted Stream Parks
Sculpted Stream Parks
Spiral River by Spacecutter is an Artificial Tributary Tailored for Play
<
49
Uneven Soccer Fields
Uneven Soccer Fields
The Puckelball Playground Redefines How Swedes Play Football
<
48
English-Teaching Bots
English-Teaching Bots
Engkey Robots are Taking Over South Korea's Classrooms & Schools
<
47
Magnetic Marble Playgrounds
Magnetic Marble Playgrounds
Frigits Can Be Moved Around on a Magnetic Surface for Endless Play
<
46
Exotic Animal Nurseries
Exotic Animal Nurseries
The Giraffe Childcare Center by Hondelatte Laporte Architects is Wild
<
45
Eco-Friendly Institutions
Eco-Friendly Institutions
Plaza Ecopolis Green School Educates the Whole Community on Eco Design
<
44
Web-Inspired Reading Surfaces
Web-Inspired Reading Surfaces
The Reading Net by Playoffice is Fun and Entertaining for Kids
<
43
See-Through Student Laboratories
See-Through Student Laboratories
OMA's École Centrale Engineering School is Award-Winning
<
42
Outdoor-Integrated Institutions
Outdoor-Integrated Institutions
The Culver City Middle School Introduces Interiors to the Exterior
<
41
Giant Playground Interiors
Giant Playground Interiors
A Forty Foot Slide Inside Shanghai's Lavish Changi Airport
<
40
Upcycled Aircraft Classrooms
Upcycled Aircraft Classrooms
A Yakovlev Yak-42 is Transformed into an Inspiring Space for Students
<
39
Green Classroom Concepts
Green Classroom Concepts
Anderson Anderson Architecture Designs an Eco-Friendly Learning Space
<
38
Posthumous Hip-Hop Producer Toys
Posthumous Hip-Hop Producer Toys
The J Dilla Vinyl Toy Celebrates the Life of the Rap Legend
<
37
Turbine Jungle Gyms
Turbine Jungle Gyms
2012Architecten's Wikado Playground is Fun and Eco-Friendly
<
36
Green-Roofed Classrooms
Green-Roofed Classrooms
This Vilhelmsro School in Denmark Features Green Technology
<
35
Climable Outdoor Art
Climable Outdoor Art
Playsculptures by Pieter Kortekaas Encourage Kids to Come Up and Jump On
<
34
Unusual Room Arrangements
Unusual Room Arrangements
Stacked Interiors by Franziska Sinn Make Forts out of Furniture
<
33
Eccentric Educational Facilities
Eccentric Educational Facilities
Tokyo'‘s Senzoku Kaguen College of Music'‘
<
32
Outdoor Playgrounds for Internet Game Play
Outdoor Playgrounds for Internet Game Play
‘Smartground' by Tamer Nakisci
<
31
Communal Recreational Structures
Communal Recreational Structures
Van Rooijen Architects' Playground Building is Bright & Colorful
<
30
Inflatable Classrooms
Inflatable Classrooms
'Blow Up Your School' is an Eco-Friendly Temporary Classroom
<
29
Recycled Recreational Parks
Recycled Recreational Parks
Basurama's ‘Ghost Train' Park Was an Old Elect
<
28
Hybrid Children's Furniture
Hybrid Children's Furniture
The Casaurus by Koichiro Hoshino is Multifunctional
<
27
Hospital Jungle Gyms
Hospital Jungle Gyms
The Ambulance Playground is Made with Disabled Children in Mind
<
26
Spiral Playgrounds
Spiral Playgrounds
The 'Helix Spire' by Erich Remash Architects is for Grown-up Kids
<
25
Colorful Kinder Schools
Colorful Kinder Schools
Palatre & Leclere Make a Coloring Book Come to Life
<
24
Mountainous Rubber Playgrounds
Mountainous Rubber Playgrounds
David Barry's 'Big Foot' is Made Out of Melted Down Tires
<
23
Alternative Education Enterprises
Alternative Education Enterprises
KO2 is a Community Interest Company with a Love for Dirtbiking
<
22
Eco Pod Nurseries
Eco Pod Nurseries
Discovery Day Care Center Helps Kids Get Their Thumbs Green at an Early Age
<
21
Stacked Jungle Gym Schools
Stacked Jungle Gym Schools
The Columbia University Medical Centre is a Complex Glass Labyrinth
<
20
Competitive Playground Pastimes
Competitive Playground Pastimes
The Arch Rival Game Encourages Safe Sport
<
19
Blue Block-Filled Installations
Blue Block-Filled Installations
Play Work Build by David Rockwell Focuses on Construction Games
<
18
Stringy Spectral Playgrounds
Stringy Spectral Playgrounds
The Rainbow Ropes Project Envisions Colorful and Dynamic Urban Spaces
<
17
Agriculture-Inspired Schools
Agriculture-Inspired Schools
The Kfar Shemaryahu Educational Centre is Creative and Colorful
<
16
Portable Jungle Gyms
Portable Jungle Gyms
The Easy Outdoor Geodescent Space Dome is Fun for Your Kids
<
15
Contemporary Culinary Classrooms
Contemporary Culinary Classrooms
Designer Cooking Schools Provide a Unique Learning Experience
<
14
Swashbuckling Playgrounds
Swashbuckling Playgrounds
The Pirate Ship Playhouse Offers Luxury Area for Boundless Imaginations
<
13
Shuttertastic Schools
Shuttertastic Schools
The Langley Academy is a Sustainable Educational Facility
<
12
Starry Jungle Gyms
Starry Jungle Gyms
The Playground by Sungkuk Park Glows Day or Night
<
11
Hipster Chic Playschools
Hipster Chic Playschools
The Israeli Designer Kindergarten Makes Me Want to Go Back to School
<
10
DIY Amusement Eggs
DIY Amusement Eggs
PlayHive Can Be Easily Built by Parents for an Un-bee-lievably Fun Playground
<
9
Tree Pod Classrooms
Tree Pod Classrooms
The Elleray Preparatory School Treehouse School Stands on Stilts
<
8
Children-Interacting Art Installations
Children-Interacting Art Installations
The Color Me Exhibition Targets Kids' Boundless Creativity
<
7
Pirate Sailboat Toy Houses
Pirate Sailboat Toy Houses
The Red Beards Revenge Pirate Ship Playhouse by PoshTots is Life-Size
<
6
String-Inspired Playground Equipment
String-Inspired Playground Equipment
Elementary School Features Continuous Steel 'Thread'
<
5
Rainbow Rope Playgrounds
Rainbow Rope Playgrounds
Skill Forest Climbing Net Makes the Hakone Pavillion a Magical Place
<
4
Psychedelic Kiddie Schools
Psychedelic Kiddie Schools
The 'Els Colors Kindergarten' in Spain Juxtaposes Cool Colors
<
3
Playground Bookstores
Playground Bookstores
Kid's Republic in Beijing Offers a Fun Way to Learn
<
2
Classroom-Free Academies
Classroom-Free Academies
The Vittra School Does Away with Traditional Educational Architecture
<
1
Nature-Integrated School Designs
Nature-Integrated School Designs
This German Kids School Design Has Trees and Textured Salt Walls
<