With school back in session, it’s never too late to find ways to improve the classroom experience. From unconventional learning spaces to flexible design solutions like opening glass doors, schools are discovering new ways to design classrooms that are as engaging as the lessons that are taught inside them. As learning continues to evolve, so too must the environments where it takes place.
But why should we be rethinking the classroom to begin with? Below, we outline how the traditional classroom is evolving and how design plays a key role in delivering future-ready learning spaces.
Rethinking the Classroom: Creative, Productive Learning Spaces for Students with Opening Glass Doors
Why We Should Be Rethinking the Classroom in the 21st Century
The typical classroom has been evolving for decades, alongside emerging learning trends that prioritize the health, engagement, and productivity of students. As children develop, learning can happen anywhere, and schools must adapt to ensure the best possible academic experience, especially in K-12 environments that set the stage for career success.
Schools must also cater to multiple learning styles to ensure each student is getting the most out of the school day. This is where architectural design comes into play, setting the foundation for future-ready classrooms that are both adaptable and engaging.
Ways to Rethink the Classroom
Classrooms today are being reimagined as adaptable, multipurpose spaces that foster collaboration, creativity, and engagement. Here are some ways teachers and academic institutions are rethinking the classroom:
- Unconventional Learning Spaces: From hallways and gymnasiums to upcycled classrooms and informal areas, these spaces offer creative environments beyond the traditional four walls for collaboration and learning.
- Reconfigurable Walls and Floorplans: Flexible partitions, including exterior movable glass doors for classrooms, allow schools to merge or separate classrooms on demand, ideal for fluctuating class sizes or collaborative teaching.
- Learning Studios: Also known as learning hubs, are spaces that utilize interior partitions or opening glass doors to connect multiple classrooms into one large, centralized, collaborative hub.
- Integrating the Hallways: Where every square foot counts, hallways, stairwells, and entryways are being redesigned with writable walls, seating nooks, and display areas that encourage spontaneous learning.
- Mobile Tables and Chairs: Furniture that can be rearranged instantly makes it easy to transition between lectures, group work, and hands-on projects.
How Movable Glass Doors for Classrooms Rethink the Learning Experience
Movable glass doors for classrooms offer flexibility and connectivity, allowing spaces to expand, open to the outdoors, and fill with natural light. Beyond aesthetics, they support student wellness, adaptability, and collaboration—transforming classrooms into versatile learning environments that evolve with both teachers and students.
- Indoor-Outdoor Connectivity: By merging classrooms with outdoor courtyards or green spaces, students gain exposure to fresh air and nature, which has been shown to enhance cognitive performance and reduce stress.
- Space Flexibility: Teachers can instantly reconfigure spaces, moving from small, focused groups to large collaborative sessions.
- Natural Light and Fresh Air: Opening glass doors flood classrooms with daylight and fresh air ventilation, reducing reliance on artificial lighting and air conditioning systems for a more sustainable learning environment.
- Acoustic Performance: High-quality opening glass doors ensure that noise is controlled when classrooms are closed off, preserving focus and productivity. NanaWall movable glass doors for classrooms can achieve sound control up to unit STC 45.
- Future-Proofing Schools: Flexible design solutions allow academic institutions to adapt without major renovations, saving money and extending the longevity of their buildings.
Why NanaWall: The Leading Folding Door Manufacturer
As the leading manufacturer of opening glass doors, NanaWall has redefined what’s possible in educational design. Our systems are engineered for durability, safety, and performance, with independent testing for air, water, and structural integrity to ensure reliability in high-traffic environments. Smooth, secure operation makes them safe for daily use by students and staff, while advanced acoustic control minimizes noise transfer to keep classrooms productive.
With versatile design options and customizable features tailored to every educational space and aesthetic, NanaWall systems provide the flexibility and long-term value needed to create future-ready learning environments.
Design Inspiration: How 3 Modern Schools Are Rethinking the Classroom
1. From Dilapidated Barn to Bright and Airy Classroom
Talk about unconventional. This horse stable turned classroom now offers a light-filled, flexible art studio for the Hermitage Museum’s Visual Arts School in Norfolk, Virginia. As a unique way of rethinking the classroom, architects at Hanbury integrated NanaWall wood framed bifold doors to further enhance flexibility and creativity by connecting to the outdoors.
These movable glass doors for classrooms connect the studio directly to an outdoor courtyard, allowing for open-air art classes and hands-on activities. This dynamic setup supports active learning by encouraging creativity, collaboration, and a seamless flow between indoor and outdoor environments year-round.
2. Learning Outdoors Made Easy
Irvine-based school, Tarbut V’Torah (TVT), added the MAKER building to its 21.5-acre hillside campus. The new structure creates a 21st Century educational experience for its K-5 students. One of the primary goals of the renovation was to utilize the outdoors as learning spaces, rethinking the way students learn in a traditional setting.
To achieve this, LPA Design Studios implemented single track NanaWall sliding stacking glass doors that easily glide into dedicated stacks to create an open corner configuration. For ADA compliance, the system was paired with a Low Profile Saddle sill, successfully transforming a conventional classroom to accommodate dynamic learning.
3. Lubbock Coopers’ Reimagined Culinary Arts Classroom
Lubbock Cooper High School is taking career development to the next level. The school’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) program required a new and improved academic wing with classrooms designed for dynamic, hands-on learning. The culinary arts classroom, for example, was designed to mimic a real-life kitchen setting for students to explore the culinary and restaurant business management.
Almost every piece of furniture and equipment is on wheels to allow multiple configurations and seamless transitions from lectures to hands-on activities. This flexibility and ease of space management extends to the NanaWall opening glass wall encompassing a 30 ½ feet opening that welcomes students into the classroom and extends learning to the hallway when needed.
Final Thoughts
Rethinking the classroom means moving beyond traditional layouts to embrace spaces that inspire curiosity, adaptability, and collaboration. By integrating innovative design elements like NanaWall opening glass doors, schools can create environments that shift with evolving teaching methods and student needs.
These flexible solutions not only maximize space and bring in light and fresh air but also redefine how and where learning happens. In reimagining the classroom this way, educators can build future-ready spaces that support student success and transform the learning experience for generations to come.
Discover how other educational institutions are rethinking the classroom with NanaWall opening glass doors and walls in our inspiring gallery of projects!
