
The Project: Khan Lab School, Mountain View, Calif.
Client: Founded by Sal Khan of the online learning platform Khan Academy, this school is a testing ground for new learning practices where teachers experiment with curriculum and pedagogy and share their finding with educators worldwide. The motto of Khan Lab School is “Everyone’s a teacher. Everyone’s a student.” It was essential for our firm to design a space that embodied that idea.
Designer: Danish Kurani is an architect and designer who’s been dreaming of redesigning the world since he could pronounce “architecture.” By 13, he was designing recreation centers for children on the streets of Pakistan. By 19, industry insiders were comparing him to Frank Lloyd Wright. As a professional and founder of the Fayetteville, Ga.–based Kurani, Danish began deploying his knowledge to build education spaces around the world, from India to Silicon Valley. He’s worked with Khan Academy and Google, and his designs have charted new futures for thousands of students globally. From humble beginnings, living in 10 homes before he turned 18, Danish has become a renowned thinker and featured TED speaker.
What made you want to work on designing learning spaces?
Education is a major social issue it's a life changer for so many people. That's why there's so much investment and conversation around how to make it accessible and effective. The problem is that a key element is repeatedly ignored and that's the physical space. At Kurani, we decided to take that on and lead the charge for creating better places to learn. It's not just what you learn, but also where you learn.
Aside from the Khan Lab School, what other schools/learning spaces have you designed?
At Kurani we've designed schools and learning spaces for some of the world's leading educators. In the US that includes the Denver Public Schools Imaginarium, New York City Schools, Howard University, and companies like Google that are thinking about the future of education.


Inside the Project

We need to rethink the physical layout of learning environments.
We’ve done away with traditional lecture-style set ups. Our community-centric approach is a hybrid mix of school and laboratory–one designed to accommodate flexible academic groupings, different levels of independence, and collaboration between mixed-age groups.
For example, nearly everything is designed to be mobile and adaptable. To be effective and authentic, the space is designed with change, evolution, and experimentation in mind. For a great learning space, you also have to consider acoustics, color, light, layout, materials, interactivity, graphics, inspiration, technology, and so much more.

Create visually connected spaces.
Students are exposed to many ideas through visually connected spaces where students can see others creating and galleries provide displays for student work, that provide continual inspiration. Just like a lab where scientists are expected to share the results of their testing, the school is equipped for showcasing student and faculty work.

Interactive walls and displays showcase learning and creativity
These include a Passion project gallery, a dedicated display for students to showcase passion projects; Writable walls that are floor-to-ceiling whiteboard walls for brainstorming and sharing ideas; a Public question board, an area where students can post questions as a way to help educators keep a pulse on what needs to be addressed; and a Welcome wall–an ever-changing space welcoming guests and educators with information about the KLS model and teachers’ experiments in education.

Students work in specialized environments.
Each area supports different types of learning (such as brainstorming, making, reflecting, and sharing) where students practice being creative and analytical, and working physically and digitally, individually and in groups. The diverse environments encourage faculty to test different learning experiences. In the Make Lab, students can design, build, and prototype. In the Ideate Lab, they can brainstorm; and in the Chat Lab, they can discuss ideas and work through problems aloud.

Large interior windows foster knowledge.
They allow everyone to see the educational experiments live. Breakout rooms, commons, and a café give people places to meet and discuss ideas.

Integrate technology with flexibility in mind.
Technology is integral to this space. Unlike traditional schools with load bearing walls and tech with heavy infrastructure, this space is designed to adapt as technology evolves. Students use iPads, digital displays, and a rolling TV. When the technology changes, the learning setting can evolve seamlessly.

Don’t forget about space for privacy.
Library nooks allow students privacy while they read. There’s also “phone booths” for students to have acoustic privacy so they can focus, watch online content, or even Skype with experts from around the world. And there’s small breakout rooms where small groups of students can have privacy away from the whole class.





