The Classroom of the Future

This morning the Open Architecture Network announced the winners of its 2009 challenge, which solicited designs for “the classroom of the future.” Top honors went to the Teton Valley Community School in Victor, Idaho–a rapidly expanding town at the base of the Teton Mountain range, in one of the most underfunded school systems in the nation. “The design objectives were to create flexible spatial configurations, reduce the school’s ecological footprint, and create a strong connection to the outdoors in response to the mountain climate,” the architects, Section Eight [design], wrote in a project brief. The school wins $50,000 toward the planning and construction of its new classrooms. Read more about Teton Valley Community School and the other finalists on the Open Architecture Challenge site.

Related: Last February, Metropolis presented a survey of eight outstanding K-12 schools in “Open-Ended Learning.”