Learning space planning for higher education

Inspiring university classroom furniture and layouts can support and enhance the learning experience. As leaders in learning space design for higher education, and as a NEUPC framework provider, we work in partnership with estate managers, interior designers, architects and other specialists, to deliver vibrant and functional classrooms, lecture theatres, student accommodation and other spaces for Top 10 global leading universities and other institutions.

We are committed to sustainable workspace design and will work to ensure that your university furniture is a low-carbon, eco-friendly solution that supports students now and into the future.

Lecture theatres, classrooms and other university learning environments

Learning environments matter. We help you get the best out of your space, creating flexible learning spaces and lecture room layouts that promote student engagement and active learning. Movable university furniture, reconfigurable partitions and multi-purpose spaces are easily adapted to cater for different teaching styles and learning needs.

University campuses are complex, with multiple departments that all have different requirements from the space. As specialists in learning space planning for higher education for over 30 years, we understand the broad scope and specific challenges that university furniture and space planning present. We are used to working with multiple stakeholders to create spaces that meet the needs of everyone.

We work in partnership with universities and other specialist providers, to create inspiring interiors. Our projects an include:

Lecture theatres
University library furniture and layout
Flexible and reconfigurable university classroom designs
Fitted and loose booths for smaller groups and individual study
VR and AR spaces
Open collaboration spaces that work to integrate with the community
Smart lockers and shared locker solutions
Student accommodation

Case study: UCL

For over 30 years we have worked in partnership with UCL, the largest campus-based university in the country. During this time we have provided workspace design and supplied university furniture to multiple departments within the university. Throughout the decades, successive changes to work and study styles, from increased reliance on ICT to the introduction of AR and VR in learning, have been reflected in our ongoing learning space planning.

That partnership includes Marshgate, UCL’s single largest building and the main educational hub of UCL East, where we specified 6,065 items across eight floors. There is more on how we furnish new university buildings on its own page.

Case study: King's College London

JPA Workspaces were selected to project manage the refurbishment of the Franklin Wilkins Library and IoP Library at King's College London.

Working mainly in the summer months to minimise disruption to students and faculty staff onsite, created a series of modern and flexible learning spaces within the libraries including social seating, quiet spaces and group study rooms.

Read the King's College London case study

View_of_the_Kings_Library,_British_Library-sq

Case study: Pembroke College, University of Oxford

Pembroke College, Oxford is a relatively small site and was constrained by its size. A project to develop its facilities, Bridging Centuries, connected the centuries-old building with a new set of modern buildings, including the Harold Lee Room, conference hospitality rooms and 96 ensuite bedrooms for undergraduate student accommodation.

JPA were chosen to supply interior furnishings for this "fourth quadrangle", sourcing bespoke, locally-manufactured university furniture within a tight timescale.

Read the Pembroke College case study

University workspace questions

Frequently asked

Can you supply through our existing framework?
We have supplied universities through the main higher education purchasing consortia and understand how each route works, so we can tell you quickly whether a framework, a mini-competition or a direct award is the cleanest way to proceed. Tell us which framework you are working to and we will be straight with you about the route — including where a different one would be simpler.

Can a refurbishment be done in the summer vacation?
Often, and that is usually when it has to happen. The constraint is rarely the installation — it is furniture lead times, which can run to sixteen weeks. A summer handover means specifying in the spring. Leave it to May and the programme decides for you.

How much of our existing furniture can be reused?
More than most estates teams expect, and the audit is worth doing before any clearance contract is let. At BRE Science Park, 240 items were retained, saving £29,930 and 7.44 tonnes of CO2e. The point of no return is the moment clearance is signed.

Do you work in occupied buildings during term time?
Yes, and most university work is phased around teaching timetables rather than done in one go. A floor or a wing at a time, out of hours where necessary, with the building in use throughout.

Can you help with lecture theatres as well as offices?
Yes. Lecture theatres, seminar rooms, libraries, study bedrooms, staff offices and social learning space. Fixed seating and tiered spaces need a different approach from loose furniture, and sightlines and acoustics matter more than in an office.

Who coordinates the trades if minor building works are needed?
We do. Where a project needs power moved, partitions altered or flooring changed alongside the furniture, we manage those trades as part of one contract. The estates team gets one point of contact rather than coordinating three suppliers themselves.

Explore more: Education workspaces · Space planning · Office refurbishment · Sustainable workspaces