Inspirational interiors for education

Properly designed and implemented interiors of educational institutions are the key to a healthy environment, which directly influences the overall quality of the educational process and has a significant impact on the mental and physical health of students and school staff.

During the construction or reconstruction of interiors, their authors should take into account the well-being of the students and staff who spend most of their time there. The goal should therefore be to create an environment that supports concentration, without negative impacts on physical or mental health, while also maintaining reasonable economic requirements for construction, operation, and maintenance. As shown by the new Guide to Planning Buildings for Education, there are many factors that will influence the final appearance of the interior and whether the educational institution building meets all the aforementioned conditions. Inspirational examples of domestic and foreign implementations in the new Guide demonstrate, however, that thanks to Sto's materials and solutions, these demands can be easily met.

Emissions-free paints in school classrooms

Gulliver Elementary School is an exemplary example of a well-designed educational institution that combines high architectural value, a focus on students' needs, and the use of quality building materials.

A great example that the requirements for modern school interiors can be met at a high level here as well is the new Gulliver Elementary School, which transformed an industrial complex on the outskirts of Banská Štiavnica into a large school complex in 2021. According to Richard Murgaš from the RMAA studio, which designed the new form, the concept mainly aimed to cover all the needs of the main users - the students. The intention was to create an inspiring environment and provide the construction and quality of the environment at a contemporary level.

"This is also evidenced by the choice of materials; for instance, the walls of the classrooms are coated with highly durable interior paints StoColor Puran Satin. They are resistant to aggressive disinfectants and can withstand the load that school interiors are exposed to. Thanks to these, the surfaces of the classrooms are hygienic, clean, durable, and easy to maintain. At the same time, it is an environmentally friendly product tested for emissions production, which can withstand demanding handling and mechanical stress without any issues. Their advantage for the investor was also the fact that they can be tinted in the full color range," says PaedDr. Peter Klečka, a specialist from Sto Slovakia.

Open spaces in the Gesamtschule in Teltow

The use of StoCretec poured floors in hallways, classrooms, staircases, and sanitary areas contributes to the long-term sustainability of the project and increases the efficiency of the school's operation.

In the new Guide to Planning Buildings for Education, you will also learn about the new integrated Grace Hopper Gesamtschule (one of the types of German secondary schools) for creative and digital education in Teltow, Germany. Professional designers at the school, in collaboration with the construction firm, decided to use Sto poured floors instead of linoleum, which, with their properties, support the overall concept of open spaces for creative learning. The reason for their choice was simple: StoFloor Comfort Elastic poured floors offered the designers and craftsmen many advantages compared to vinyl or tiles: they created a smooth, seamless surface with high flatness and strength that matched the character of the school, and they could also be installed quickly, with low flammability being another advantage.

The floors in Teltow have a matte surface with slip resistance classes R9 and R10. Thanks to good mechanical resistance, they are suitable for chair wheels, have high impact and shock resistance, and are resistant to abrasion and UV radiation. The installed system coating is also low-emission and well dampens sound during footsteps. Additionally, it offers a high-quality appearance, and due to a wide range of color shades, it also provides options for decorative finishes. These were well utilized in this project, for example, to separate classrooms from hallways and staircases by choosing different color shades. The service rooms and hallways are also attractively designed. Colored acrylic chips provide additional accents, and the solid glass balls Sto Ballotini in the sealing coating ensure a slip-resistant surface.

Spatial acoustics in the university library

Acoustic comfort solutions are important not only in classrooms, but also in spaces designated for the movement of people. This reduces the overall noise quality while improving the atmosphere of the educational institution.

The design by the architects who won the international competition for the reconstruction and renovation of the main library at the University of Graz met the requirements for a 21st-century library. The historic building of Karl-Franzens-University has been renovated several times, losing its transparency and openness during those processes. The building no longer met the requirements of a modern campus library. The Thomas Pucher studio not only modernized and expanded the building with their design, but also restructured the given space. The library, located in the heart of the campus, has a new lecture hall for 430 students, and there are also 650 reading and study places available for students. Additionally, there are study rooms, examination rooms, and administrative and storage spaces.

The requirements for reverberation time, sound distribution, or speech intelligibility change depending on the way the room is used. Acoustics are also influenced by various factors, including the composition of floors, walls, and ceilings. Sto confirmed its high competence in this area during the reconstruction of the university library. The architects placed emphasis on conceiving the acoustics in the reading areas not only with subdued silence but also with design. A powerful tool in their design became the StoSilent Distance acoustic system, which absorbs noise throughout the entire area and allowed them to realize areas without joints and expansion joints up to a size of 200 m². The Sto product range for educational institutions was complemented by poured floors.

Sto and modern solutions for educational buildings

The Guide to Planning Buildings for Education is a great tool for everyone working on preparing a project for new construction or reconstruction of educational buildings such as schools, kindergartens, universities, or libraries.

Are you interested in how to create an environment that stimulates concentration, free of any negative impacts on physical or mental health, while also maintaining reasonable economic requirements for the construction, operation, and maintenance of educational buildings? You can find more examples of inspirational solutions from schools, kindergartens, universities, or libraries from both domestic and European contexts in our new Guide to Planning Buildings for Education, which you can completely free of charge download from our website.