How Educational Real Estate is Evolving

Real estate is the third largest expense for most educational institutions (after personnel and IT) and forward-looking schools, colleges and universities are recognizing the crucial contribution that their real estate can play in their long-term success. 

How the design profession responds to the changing educational landscape, will define the look and feel of future establishments. While no single ‘one size fits all’ approach is likely to emerge, a number of interacting trends in the design of educational space can be identified at a global level, with many of these being applicable across the Middle East and Africa.

Focus on internal space. One of the most important trends involves a shift in focus away from the external appearance of schools and universities, with far more attention now being paid to the quality of the internal environment. Health and well-being are emerging trends across all sectors of the real estate spectrum and the education sector is no exception, with increased evidence that the quality of the internal physical environment has a major impact on levels of learning and performance.

Variety is key. Many factors will influence the quality of the learning environment, among them being light, acoustics, biophilia and the use of the colour palette. There is a growing body of research on neuro aesthetics in the education sector that suggests 1 in 7 students is neurodivergent and that successful educational establishments will need to offer an increasing variety of different physical spaces to cater for a range of different learning styles and abilities.

Classrooms are a thing of the past and are being replaced by designs offering a range of multi-purpose spaces capable of accommodating different activities at different times of the day or week. The same space that was used for immersive + active learning activities on a Tuesday morning may now double up as a collaborative meeting space on Thursday afternoon and a performing arts space on Friday evening.

These borderless classrooms will be linked together by flow areas to form a continuum of spaces for a large variety of situations (individual, group, formal or otherwise). The design of these areas needs to incorporate sufficient openness and transparency to showcase different combinations of teaching, learning, creating and research.

Inside / outside spaces. Innovative designs will incorporate a mix of indoor and outdoor spaces, with the boundaries between the two becoming ever more blurred. The harsh climatic conditions in our region will require the incorporation of climate control features in areas exposed to the elements, but natural ventilation may offer a preferred solution for more shaded and sheltered spaces.

Designing for experience. As with offices, hotels and other forms of real estate, the education sector is becoming increasingly focused on providing the quality of experience demanded by occupiers. Branding and image are important elements in creating the experience that will attract the best and brightest students and staff.