The Advantages of Modular School Furniture

What are the advantages of modular school furniture? Flexible furnishings are of great importance in a learning environment as they allow teachers and educators to reconfigure the classroom to suit the different needs of groups or subjects. They also make it possible to use non-classroom areas in alternate ways, by simply arranging the furniture accordingly.

What is modular school furniture?

Modular school furniture can include tables, soft seating, sofas and cubes, all of which can be mixed and matched to create limitless configurations. This allows rooms to be designed for full functionality. Ideally every user of a room can adapt the space to suit them, with minimal disruption.

Flexibility and Customisation with Modular Furniture

The wide range of designs, styles and colours available in modular furniture make it a really versatile choice for schools, colleges and universities, as well as commercial and leisure environments.

• Creating truly flexible learning spaces is so easy – and with the right modular designs anyone can help to rearrange the furniture, even the students.
• Allowing groups to create their own zones for study, group or team work can bring a real sense of agency and makes it possible to regroup or reconvene really quickly when required.

Students and teachers will enjoy the colourful range of designs available, while purchasers will love the hard-wearing designs and tough commercial-grade finishes. These easy-clean materials mean that even the best-loved school furniture will keep its good looks for longer.

Modular School Furniture Case Study:

With the help of modular seating combined with canteen tables and benches, Spaceist helped a college to create a multipurpose dining and recreation area for staff and pupils.

Bright colours and informal seating are paired with practical dining furniture to make a great looking space that perfectly combines fun design with functionality.

Benefits of Modular Booth Seating

As well as being fun and flexible, modular furniture promotes collaboration and interaction, both in the classroom and socially. It can be used to help to create opportunities for interaction in learning situations by allowing more flexible ways of working.

1. The ability to create smaller groups within a large space can help to promote interaction. It’s easier for students to interact with each other without the restrictions of fixed seating where quiet conversation may be limited to the people on the desks on either side or those at the same table every day.
2. The flexibility to create a large group with an informal leader can help to improve opportunities for interaction between the class leader and the group, especially if the furnishings are arranged in a circular formation or similar. These more flexible arrangements may also help to ‘bring out’ the more introverted members of a group.

There are many well-documented benefits of increased collaboration and interaction in the classroom. Increased interaction can:

Helps with brainstorming ideas or free thinking

• Let leaders see who is contributing and regroup as required.
• Boost student confidence and self-esteem through self-directed study.
• Teach students how to work with a variety of people.
• Help to improve social skills.
• Allow quieter or less extroverted students to benefit from working in smaller groups.

If cubes and individual chairs aren’t suitable for the space, another popular style of modular furniture is modular booth seating. These high-backed seats can be made to size for best use of space.

When combined with matching tables, booth seating can provide space for both group and solo study. The high backs of booth sofas create privacy and reduce noise bleed, very useful when several groups are collaborating simultaneously.

Enhanced Comfort and Ergonomics with Modular Sofas

Modular booth seating is also very suitable for multi-use spaces, allowing the same furniture to be used for study, breakout groups and eating and drinking. The high-backed modular sofas and matching tables are more ergonomic and so suitable for longer periods of writing or screen use. They can also be combined with modular cubes or chairs to create a really flexible space.

Modular School Furniture >

Safe Seats of Learning, a 2008 study by the Furniture Research Association focused on the increasing importance of comfort and ergonomics in the learning environment. It recommended that schools move away from a ‘one size fits all’ model and that:

• “Furniture should be easy to rearrange into a variety of configurations to move from group to individual work as required.”
• “Furniture should be a metaphor for the curriculum, encouraging flexibility and creativity.”

Durability and Cost Effectiveness of Modular Cubes

Modular cubes are a popular budget option for educational spaces where students need to move away from the desk or high table, like breakout spaces and common rooms.

In a variety of shapes and colours, they can combine to create cost-effective, bespoke arrangements and make great use of space, some are even curved to fit around pillars, so there’s no unused space. Perfect for even the most oddly shaped rooms.

The system is designed to allow for a mix and match use of shapes and colours. The ability to simply replace one module as required makes them a cost effective solution compared to traditional furniture where an entire suite may have to be replaced if damaged.

The durable nature of the easy to clean, contract-grade coverings on our modular cubes makes them extremely hard-wearing when compared to traditional school soft furnishings.

Modular Cube Case study:

Spaceist worked with a youth centre to create an affordable modular furniture package designed to work in a variety of zones including a cafe bar, admin rooms and a media lounge. Furniture designs included:

• Modular cubes
• Modular sofas
• Low tables
• Conference chairs
• Reception chairs

Final Thoughts

Modular school furniture brings a more informal feel to the classroom and can help to create a more fun, stimulating or relaxing atmosphere, depending on the style. By investing in quality commercial-grade school furniture, every room can become a multi-functional area, without additional costs.

For more information about modular furniture and space planning, ask our educational furniture experts today.

Can modular school furniture match our school or house colours?

There are literally hundreds of colours available so there is sure to be something suitable in the covering of your choice. Modular pieces are designed to work in complementary colours so room designs can incorporate more than one colour very easily.

Is modular furniture easy to clean?

The contract-grade materials we supply to schools are extremely robust and are stain resistant and anti-bacterial, so suitable for the busiest classrooms and all ages of students.

If vinyl or faux-leather designs are chosen these are normally wipe-clean.

Can I mix high and low seating?

It’s good to offer a range of seating heights, both ergonomically and to help ensure accessibility. Students will appreciate the chance to move between different types of seating and some seating will be more suitable for certain purposes. For example, study work might be best done in a high-back booth with tables, whereas breakout groups may enjoy moving to fun cubes or low level chairs which they can arrange as required.