Breaking down barriers for learning and access

Portland Education Architects

Scott Edwards Architecture designs education spaces to help break down barriers to learning and access. Our firm provides architecture, interior design, and planning services for educational facilities throughout the Pacific Northwest including for early childhood learning, alternative and technical schools for middle and high school-aged students, and higher education. This work includes child development centers, charter schools, Montessori schools, preschools, and programs like Headstart.

We’ve found that design for learning environments presents many unique opportunities to inspire, be innovative, and increase inclusivity. The thoughtful use of colors, materials, textures, and shapes can create spaces to encourage growth, focus, play, and respite. As with all our work, we still apply the principles of good design, but with a slight lens shift to incorporate what we understand from developmental psychology, wellness and accessibility considerations, and cultural competency. We frequently incorporate research-backed ideas, such as the benefits of intergenerational interaction, sensory-considerate solutions, and more, into educational spaces, benefitting teachers and learners alike.

As part of our process, we partner closely with our clients—public school districts, private education institutions, community colleges, universities—to learn about the students, teachers, and communities they serve. This understanding helps us tailor our education-focused architecture to be responsive to their particular needs, considering elements like the age range of learners, safety features, specialty spaces like school libraries, student commons, and vocational and technical training that will elevate experience. We also consider culturally and contextually relevant artwork and areas that can create a sense of place, vocational and technical training, and innovative technology that can be incorporated to increase access to modern educational tools.

SEA has seen tremendous value in designing places of learning, no matter the age of students, to be adaptable, multi-functional, and durable. Carefully integrated resources for storage and display of learning materials are essential for an organized environment, as is zoning for activity types, wayfinding, and versatility that maximizes fixed floorplans. As designers, we enjoy nothing more than finding creative solutions that serve many functions and increase the longevity of schools as vital places in their communities. We understand how an inviting and functional space can create an exceptional learning environment and do not take lightly that places like these benefit not only the individuals who use them but society as a whole.