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HomeDesignInteriorsConnected Classroom by Danish Kurani allows teachers to reach rural students in...

Connected Classroom by Danish Kurani allows teachers to reach rural students in Alabama



Architect Danish Kurani has developed a prototype for “connected” ClassDesigned to enable specialist teachers to deliver lessons remotely to students in rural communities.


Qurani In partnership with the nonprofit, completed the first iteration of the Connected Classroom at Robert C. Hatch High School in the rural Black Belt region of Alabama. ad form And the state of Alabama.

Connected Classrooms include a presentation area for students to participate in video conferencing with remote teachers

Kurani said, “As the United States grapples with rebuilding a more equitable and flexible educational system, glaring inequities in rural school infrastructure and access to qualified teachers have come into sharp focus.”

Their solution involves bringing expert teachers into a specially designed classroom using the latest digital technology and providing students with the tools to use it in this reimagined environment.

Classroom with minimal decor, green walls and a central white table
The prototyping space is designed to be simple and quiet to promote focus and creativity for students

Kurani said, “For decades, American classrooms, especially in rural areas, have been stuck in an industrial age blueprint: rows of desks in rows, walls cluttered with overwhelming visuals, and harsh fluorescent lighting that impairs students’ attention spans.”

“This traditional model, demanding compliance and personalized instruction, seems mismatched with today’s needs.”

Rocking chair and a banquette seat in front of a light green wall
Rocking chairs and banquettes provide alternative seating options for those working on laptops or tablets

The new classroom has abandoned these in favor of simple interior design, intended to foster focus and creativity and quietly inspire students.

A cool palette of green and blue decorates the space and its furniture, and the walls are lined with sound-absorbing fabric made from 100 percent recycled polyester.

View of the forest from the desk
More traditional desks face windows and are divided by perforated screens

Dual-tone carpet tiles made from recycled plastic bottles are laid out to guide users around the space.

At the front of the classroom is a large wall-mounted screen with dark borders, which is used for video conference presentations and discussions with the remote teacher.

Classroom with green bleachers and white furniture on wheels
Furniture is modular and flexible, so it can be easily rearranged or repaired if needed

The room is equipped with multiple cameras so that even remote teachers can feel as if they are in the room with the students, while a local teacher is present in person during the lesson to provide support.

“This arrangement allows local staff to gain new skills and experience in advanced content areas, so the benefits accrue to them as well as the students,” Kurani said.

two girls sitting at a banquet in front of a pale green wall
Various seating arrangements facilitate group work and individual focus

A bank of headphones and tablets are stored within a wood-paneled storage unit, which was created from a fallen ash tree, for students to use and return as needed.

Traditional desks face the windows, while rocking chairs, beanbags, bleachers, and booth seating provide alternative spaces for students to use laptops and tablets.

A girl sitting on a beanbag under the window in the corner of a green room
The walls are lined with sound-absorbing fabric made from recycled polyester

Modular center tables are provided for group work, but these can be moved before presentations or activities that require additional space.

Overhead lighting mimics natural sunlight to keep students alert throughout the day, and can be adjusted for focused work and dimmed for presentations.

As part of this project, Kurani gathered data from 22 students from local schools as well as 10 rural schools and obtained insights from teachers, community leaders and technology experts.

“This was not just a classroom designed for a community – it was built with it in mind,” the architect said.

Boy sitting on green bleachers using tablet
Bleachers at the back of the room double as storage space

The Connected Classroom is intended to be expanded and implemented across the country, particularly in under-resourced rural areas, including Alabama’s Black Belt.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced millions of students online, and prompted a wave of rethinking about education and how to use digital resources to improve learning.

View through an open door into a classroom, where a boy is sitting on a green bleacher seat
The first connected classroom was installed at Robert C. Hatch High School in Alabama

At that time, a White paper by interior design firm Roar Evaluated several key issues that will be presented to students and teachers upon returning to classrooms, and declared that “the education space will never be the same again”.

Other recent innovations for the education sector include Classroom furniture designed for Gen Z learning by Pearson Lloyd and SOM’s airy, high-ceilinged, modular orbit For schools that require temporary accommodation.

photography is by Erin Little,



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