MONTREAL – Taktik Design met the challenge of designing two classrooms that facilitate the individual or collaborative educational needs of students at the Pensionnat du Saint-Nom-de-Marie, which bills itself as “The biggest francophone secondary school for girls in Quebec.”

Taktik’s design breaks from the traditional rigid classroom setting by incorporating flexible furnishings that can be readily reconfigured to optimize shifting learning, studying and collaborating requirements. Several strategies were put in place: the furniture around the rooms is fixed, while the units in the center are movable. In addition, placing tables at differing heights creates a dynamic effect for the various environments.

As a result, layouts can be changed from when a teacher is lecturing at a white board to when students are working independently at their workstations or gathering together as a group around a big table or in smaller groups relaxing on a couch, island benches, or even bean bag chairs. The ability for students to reimagine and adjust their learning environment actually plays an active role in their educational growth. 

Suppliers of the project include Entretien Jacques Forgues, cabinets; Forma 5 chairs distributed by Nulook, NuSpace stools; armchairs from Perez Furniture, and Lovasi bean bags.