A week ago, an American Pandora’s Box was split open, revealing a nation divided across lines of ideology, class, race, and gender. If the role of a nation’s education system is to foster civic virtues — and increasingly educators are calling for more collaboration and communication — then we need to agree on what those virtues are.

Among other things, this year’s Presidential Election revealed some serious shortcomings in the ways that we confront difference. In 1997, political scientist Edward Luttwak wrote “Give War a Chance”, arguing that, sometimes, peace requires “passing a culminating phase of violence”. But once all the figurative (or literal) arms are withdrawn, we need our words. Dialogue and face-to-face conversation help us soften the edges of the way we think about, speak with, and act towards one another. And that starts in schools, with our kids. More than ever, we need safe spaces for dialogue.

Where do we start? Dotted across today’s American landscape are boxes that, at best, foster cubicle culture, and, at worst, resemble maximum security detention centers. The intents behind these design decisions range from twentieth century industrial values to twenty-first century bureaucratic inertia. Stephen Sun, an architect and alum of the Harvard Graduate School of Design, explains that “the design of schools resemble that of factories and prisons, where oversight and crowd control are prioritized above all else”.

Plan of the New York City Ward School-house №30 from 1852, next to a flexible layout of a classroom in Brooklyn in 2016.

As a result, many of this country’s 50 million young people are spending the bulk of their days confined in bleak boxes, leaving their genuine emotions to their devices (and Twitter feeds). To the educators out there — yes, we certainly need to account for safety and classroom management. But where, in the landscape of strict building codes, is the room for authentic dialogue and learning? Administrators, we want to hear from you.

Beyond building, architecture is about dignity. Do our students not deserve, at the very least, dignifying spaces in which to learn and grow together? As a designer, I accept a certain responsibility to help re-imagine the spaces we inherit and co-create learning places with communities.

When it comes to design ideas, we can look to the global to help shape the local. Elementary school students are working together in the Vittra Brotorp School in Stockholm, designed by Rosan Bosch.

The world needs designers and educators, and we have a lot of work ahead. Some of the work is simple — how can we shift our classroom furniture to cater to our students’ needs? Other pieces are more complex and long-term — how do we rethink the architecture of learning to support what might take place 50 years from now? Both are equally fun and important problems to tackle, and we hope you join us.

Schools can strategically use furniture, color, and different material surfaces to create safe zones for students to interact. Calhoun Learning Center, designed by FXFOWLE Architects.

Here at room2learn, we’ve started to throw some answers on the table. If you’re ready to get moving, here are three simple ways to join the movement:

1. Need to better use your classroom space? Sign up for free on room2learn.org to find design ideas and share yours with fellow educators.
2. Want to hear weekly design tips and tricks? Sign up for our newsletter here.
3. Have a school space to reimagine? We would love to help. Get in touch with our design solutions team at solutions@room2learn.org

Together, let’s make room to learn.