Can educational design influence student success?

Why acoustics, adaptability and student experience are redefining campus design

While architecture alone cannot determine academic outcomes, growing evidence suggests that the quality of the learning environment can influence student engagement, well-being, attendance and overall educational experience.

As colleges and universities compete to attract and retain students, the campus environment is increasingly being recognized as a strategic asset rather than simply a collection of teaching spaces. Designers are being challenged to create environments that support focus, collaboration, well-being and adaptability in equal measure.

Designing for the next generation

Across both K–12 and higher education, institutions are rethinking how learning environments support modern educational needs. The shift toward hybrid learning, collaborative teaching models and student-centered experiences is driving new approaches to campus design.

Factors such as access to daylight, acoustic comfort, indoor air quality, spatial flexibility and the quality of shared amenities all contribute to the overall educational experience. These considerations influence not only how students learn, but also how they connect, collaborate and engage with their surroundings.

Recognition of the long-term value of healthy, safe and wellness-focused educational buildings is also shaping investment decisions. Colleges and universities increasingly understand that the quality of the built environment can have lasting benefits for students, faculty and staff alike.

Increasingly, universities are recognizing that student success and retention are influenced not only by academic provision, but also by a student’s sense of belonging. Environments that encourage interaction, support well-being and create opportunities for both planned and informal engagement can play an important role in helping students feel connected to their institution and wider community.

The rise of the learning ecosystem

The traditional model of education centered around formal teaching spaces is evolving. Today’s campuses must support a wider range of activities, from focused study and collaborative project work to virtual learning and informal social interaction.

As a result, designers are increasingly creating learning ecosystems rather than simply classrooms. Spaces are expected to support different modes of learning throughout the day while remaining flexible enough to adapt to future requirements.

This shift is particularly evident in higher education, where the distinction between learning, socializing and collaboration continues to blur. Students increasingly expect environments that allow them to move seamlessly between independent work, group activities and technology-enabled learning.

The campus as a destination

As digital learning platforms become increasingly sophisticated, the role of the physical campus is evolving. The most successful educational environments are becoming destinations in their own right, offering experiences, interactions and opportunities for collaboration that cannot easily be replicated online.

This shift is influencing how architects and designers approach educational environments. Rather than focusing solely on teaching spaces, many institutions are investing in a broader mix of learning settings, social hubs, wellness amenities and collaborative environments that encourage students to spend more time on campus and engage more deeply with campus life.

For institutions facing increasing competition for enrollment, creating a compelling campus experience has become an important part of attracting and retaining students. The physical environment is playing a growing role in how prospective students evaluate educational opportunities and how connected they feel once enrolled.

The result is a more holistic approach to campus design – one that recognizes learning as something that happens throughout the student journey rather than exclusively within the classroom.

Why acoustic performance matters

Acoustic comfort remains one of the most important – and often overlooked – aspects of educational design.

In the United States, acoustic performance in educational environments is guided by ANSI/ASA S12.60, which establishes maximum background noise levels and reverberation times to support speech intelligibility. Similar considerations are reflected in frameworks such as LEED and WELL.

Poor classroom acoustics can significantly affect a student’s ability to hear, process and retain information. The impact can be particularly pronounced for younger learners, neurodivergent students and those studying in a second language.

As educational environments become more varied and multifunctional, designers are increasingly tasked with balancing openness and collaboration with the need for concentration and privacy.

Creating spaces for focus and collaboration

A core principle of contemporary educational design is recognizing that students learn in different ways and require access to a variety of environments throughout the day.

Well-lit, organized and acoustically comfortable spaces can help students concentrate, absorb information and work effectively, whether independently or as part of a group.

High-performance glazed partition systems can help create quiet study environments while maintaining visual openness and access to natural light. This balance between privacy and transparency has become an important consideration across modern educational settings.

Designers are also being challenged to create spaces capable of serving multiple functions. Similar to trends seen in workplace design, educational environments are increasingly expected to maximize flexibility and utilization without compromising the student experience.

A refreshment area, for example, may also function as an informal study space, equipped with acoustic separation, power access and a variety of seating options. These blended environments allow students to work, collaborate and socialize between classes while making more effective use of available space.

Designing for change

Few building types evolve as rapidly as educational facilities. Teaching methods change, technology advances and student expectations continue to develop.

Increasingly, designers are looking for solutions that allow learning environments to adapt without major renovation. Flexible interior systems can support future reconfiguration while helping institutions maximize the value of their investment.

This adaptability also contributes to sustainability objectives by extending the useful life of interior fit-outs and reducing the need for replacement materials over time.

For educational institutions, sustainability is increasingly being viewed through a lifecycle lens. Alongside embodied carbon reduction, there is growing recognition that buildings and interior environments should be designed to evolve rather than be repeatedly replaced.

As institutions pursue ambitious sustainability goals, the conversation is expanding beyond operational energy performance to include embodied carbon, material reuse and long-term adaptability.

Flexible interior systems support this approach by allowing spaces to be reconfigured rather than rebuilt. This helps institutions respond to changing educational requirements while reducing waste and preserving investment over time.

Demountable glass wall partition systems are increasingly being specified as part of this strategy. Manufactured using low embodied carbon aluminum sourced through approved supply partners and containing a minimum of 75% post-consumer recycled content, PurOptima’s glazed systems support both environmental objectives and evolving campus needs.

Supporting executive education through thoughtful design

One example of this approach can be seen at Bayes Business School (formerly Cass Business School) in London, where architectural firm NBBJ specified PurOptima glazed systems to create teaching rooms, syndicate spaces and collaborative environments for executive education and part-time MBA programs.

The project demonstrates how transparency and acoustic performance can work together within educational environments. While executive education programs require spaces that support concentration and confidentiality, they also benefit from visual connectivity and a sense of openness that encourages collaboration and engagement.

Acoustic performance, transparency and flexibility were all key considerations. Glazed partitions and doors helped create a connected learning environment while supporting privacy and speech intelligibility where required.

The result is a learning environment that balances focused work with collaboration, helping support the different ways students and professionals interact throughout the day.

Designing for specialist learning environments

Some educational facilities place particularly demanding requirements on interior systems.

Music departments, rehearsal spaces and performance rooms often require high levels of sound isolation to prevent activities from affecting adjacent learning environments. Double-glazed partition systems can help provide the acoustic separation required while maintaining flexibility for future adaptation.

Media studies facilities present similar challenges. Students require environments that support hands-on learning, access to technology and spaces suitable for content creation, editing and production. Glazed partition systems can be used to create editing suites, studios and collaborative workspaces while preserving visibility and access to natural light.

Supporting learning beyond academic buildings

The student experience extends well beyond classrooms, lecture halls and laboratories. Student housing, communal facilities and shared amenities all contribute to how students engage with campus life.

Modern student housing increasingly incorporates dedicated study areas, collaborative spaces and well-being-focused amenities designed to support both academic performance and community building.

Student Castle’s student housing development in Oxford demonstrates this approach. Private study rooms created using glazed partition systems provide dedicated areas for focused work while maintaining visual connection to communal spaces and access to natural light.

By combining functionality with a contemporary aesthetic, these spaces support both academic activity and the wider student experience.

As institutions increasingly focus on student retention and overall experience, the design of residential and communal environments is becoming just as important as the design of formal learning spaces.

Looking ahead

Educational buildings are increasingly being asked to do more than accommodate teaching. They must support well-being, collaboration, focus, flexibility and sustainability while helping institutions deliver a compelling student experience.

As the relationship between learning and place continues to evolve, thoughtful design choices will play an increasingly important role in creating environments that support both immediate educational needs and the changing demands of future generations.

The question for designers is no longer whether educational environments influence student success, but how effectively those environments support the diverse ways students learn, collaborate and connect.

As expectations continue to evolve, the most successful campuses are likely to be those that combine performance, adaptability and sustainability with something less tangible but equally important: creating places where students genuinely want to be.

In doing so, they can support not only learning outcomes, but also the engagement, belonging and retention that increasingly define institutional success.

Specification Note – Understanding STC Ratings

Sound Transmission Class (STC) is a numerical rating used to measure how effectively a building element reduces the transmission of airborne sound between spaces.

For educational facilities, STC ratings help designers achieve the appropriate level of acoustic separation for different environments.

As a general guide:

• STC 40–45 is typically suitable for classrooms, meeting rooms and general educational environments.
• STC 50–65 is often associated with higher-performance applications requiring greater levels of sound isolation, such as music rooms, recording studios and specialist teaching spaces.

Understanding acoustic performance requirements early in the design process can help ensure learning environments support concentration, communication and overall student experience.