How Schools Should be Designed, Now and Post-Pandemic

08/13/20 • 42 min

Important topic this week: across the nation, parents, and guardians are having to decide whether to send their children back to school amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Some families won’t have a choice. It’s a complex problem without a lot of good solutions. We’ll explore how design can play a role in creating a safer return to school this year, how schools should be designed, now and in the future, and how remote learning comes into the picture. Our guest co-host is Karina Ruiz, Principal at BRIC Architecture — Karina is an expert in shaping spaces for learning. Karina shares what she’s hearing from her education clients and how she’s collaborating with them to re-imagine schools. And we’re joined by Kyle Laier, Assistant Superintendent of Operations for Oregon City Schools. Kyle and Karina have worked closely on school building projects, and they share how they welcomed students and teachers into the design process, empowering them to do user interviews, and truly listening to their feedback to craft a new type of school. They even built a full-scale prototype that teachers are using to plan future lessons and activities. Plus we have our weekly dose of good design.

For links to resources we discuss on this episode, visit our show page:

For links to resources we discuss on this episode, visit our show page:

How Schools Should be Designed, Now and Post-Pandemic

Previous Episode

Listen for Understanding. Creative Problem Solving Requires Designers to Listen, Learn, and Get Out of the Way

At the Design Museum, we see design as a creative problem-solving process that can be applied not only to design buildings, products, websites, clothing, etc. but also used to solve the biggest social and environmental problems we have. But what does that mean? How do designers help solve issues like climate change, racial equity, and education? This week we talk to two epic creative problem solvers about how they think about and step up to help solve big, thorny problems. Our guest co-host, Pinar Guvenc, is a partner at Sour Studio, an international award-winning architecture, and design studio based in New York City and Istanbul. Pinar and her team infuse purposefulness into everything they do. Pinar talks about self-commissioning projects and reframing the creative brief. In her words, designers must educate clients in order to create the best designs. And we’re joined by Marquise Stillwell, Founder and Principal of OpenBox, a people-centered design firm focused on improving people’s lives in the communities their clients serve. Marquise gives insight into his authentic approach to listening for understanding and talks about how designers can step up when it comes to equity and anti-racism. Plus, we share our weekly dose of good design.

For links to resources we discuss on this episode, visit our show page:

Listen for Understanding. Creative Problem Solving Requires Designers to Listen, Learn, and Get Out of the Way

Next Episode

Design Makes the World! Design Museum’s 11th Anniversary Episode

Today is Design Museum Everywhere’s 11th birthday — so we have a special episode to celebrate. We talk with two special guests on how design shapes the world around us, how we can all be designers, and all be better designers. Our guest co-host is George White, Chief Innovation Officer at Cantina. George gives his definition of design, why it’s important, and where the field is going. And we discuss some great design examples. Then we bring in Scott Berkun, best-selling author of the new book How Design Makes the World. Scott’s book perfectly aligns with our mission to make design accessible to everyone. We chat with him about the book, strategies for telling design stories, and much more. Plus Sam and George each share their weekly dose of good design.

For links to resources we discuss on this episode, visit our show page:

Design Makes the World! Design Museum’s 11th Anniversary Episode