By Ritika
Dubai, Sept 3, 2026: School design is being rethought from the building down to the furniture inside it. Architects are reevaluating the traditional classroom layout altogether, while furniture is increasingly treated as part of the same environment rather than a separate afterthought, with ergonomics, flexibility and a growing body of research on how physical space affects learning shaping decisions at every scale.
“One of the most exciting shifts I’m witnessing in education is the way we are beginning to question what a classroom should actually look and feel like. For too long, the familiar image of rows of desks, with a teacher positioned at the front, has defined the learning environment. I don’t believe that model reflects how children learn, collaborate or discover the world today,” says Eno Akpan, Senior Architect at Kidzink. “Classrooms are becoming more open, flexible and collaborative, spaces that give children greater choice, encourage curiosity and allow different learning styles to flourish.”
That shift, she says, is formalised in what she calls the firm’s ‘Enriched Environment Model,’ which “brings together neuroscience, psychology and design research to translate these principles into actionable frameworks. We design for the whole child — their learning, well-being, creativity, confidence and sense of belonging.”
Silvio Azorin, Interior Design Director at Kidzink describes a similar rethink at the furniture level. “One of the biggest shifts we are seeing in school furniture is that it is no longer treated as a collection of isolated tables and chairs. It is becoming part of a wider learning ecosystem, helping shape how students move, focus, collaborate and interact throughout the day,” he says. Corridors, libraries and dining areas are being drawn into that same thinking, he adds, becoming “learning spaces,” “social and collaborative environments” and “part of the educational experience.” As Azorin puts it, “Good furniture does not simply fill a learning space. It helps the learning space perform better.”
This is being driven by a wider set of design priorities, according to Ahmad Alokosh, General Manager and partner at Penta Innovative Industries. “School furniture design is rapidly evolving from traditional fixed desks and chairs into flexible, technology-enabled and student-centred learning solutions,” he says. He points to “lightweight desks, chairs with castors, modular tables, nesting tables and height-adjustable furniture,” letting classrooms shift quickly between individual and group work, and to furniture that is “durable, repairable, modular and recyclable,” and “designed to accommodate different body types, abilities, ages and learning preferences.”
