Page 39 - spaces4learning, January/February 2020

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Invest in Quality
During planning for the new Tri Star robotics lab, admin- istrators and design team members visited similar facilities. Two things stood out during these visits. First, many school labs were dark and uninviting. Also, furniture, fixtures and
equipment were often in poor repair. This was a result of the schools purchasing lower-quality items, rather than the more expensive equipment you would find in a professional setting.
The Tri Star team decided to make the investment in a better-quality workspace. The school spent additional money
to obtain higher-quality and more durable welded steel mobile base workstations with butcher block tops and specialized robot- ics and computer workstations. The design of the high bay lab features 20-foot-tall side wall windows that bring natural light deep into the space. A polished conrete floor provides a high-end look while also being durable and easy to clean. The result is a learning environment that is functional and inspiring.
Put Learning Center Stage
The popularity of robotics programs makes them high- ly-attractive to potential students and their families. When planning for your robotics lab, make sure the space is front and center. At Tri Star, the high-bay robotics lab is visible from the nearby highway, thanks to the side wall windows. At night, the bright yellow robots are a striking sight for people passing the school on State Route 703. Inside the school, windows provide views into the lab from the student commons, the first floor corridor and the second floor corridor. If robotics is a big part of your brand, as it is at Tri Star, make sure the design celebrates the program in every possible way.
The design of robotics labs is a highly-technical endeavor. But if done correctly, a smarter place for learning will give students the skills they need to succeed in the workplace of the 21st century.
Douglas Rich, AIA, drich@fhai.com, is a project architect with Fanning Howey, an integrated architecture, interiors and engineering firm specializing in learning environments. Bran-
don Biniker is an interior designer with Fanning Howey.
Robots on Display. Carefully-planned views into the robotics lab create an inspiring backdrop for learning.
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