Circulation Space

The stairwells, corridors, and elevators within our schools are spaces nearly every occupant uses. A student may not have class in room 203, but probably uses the hallway that passes by that classroom. Acting as connective tissue, thoughtful corridor and stairwell design can support social emotional well-being. By offering variety and flexibility circulation spaces can give students agency, support collaboration, reduce density when needed, and reinforce school values.

In addition to being a pathway, circulation areas can extend classroom environments through planning, strategic signage, innovative furniture, and smart design.

Top Health Considerations

01. Visibility

02. Wayfinding

03. Collaboration

Visibility

The CDC and Department of Education define bullying as three core elements: 1) unwanted aggressive behavior; 2) observed or perceived power imbalance; 3) repetition or high likelihood of repetition of bullying behaviors. (112) The 2019 Indicators of School Crime and Safety report found nationwide, 20% of students ages 12-18 experienced bullying in some form. Of those students, 43.4% of bullying too place in the hallway or stairwell. (113)

Long hallways with limited glass, turns, and alcoves can create blind spots in natural surveillance. A more open, transparent design with windows and clear lines of sight can reduce bullying opportunities. This visibility allows adults to supervise students. Long hallways with greater visibility may allow adults to detect bullying and harassment more quickly and prevent students from participating in risky behavior. (72) In the past, opaque structures like walls and doors separated rooms from the hallways and stairs. With transparent glazing, there is an uninterrupted line of sight while also establishing interconnectedness. (114) To further that connection, dispersing teacher and staff meeting areas and lunch spaces throughout circulation areas can foster passive supervision, collaboration, and support.

Wayfinding

Learning neighborhoods can be reinforced through graphics and wayfinding strategies. Each unique neighborhood can have distinctive colors, quotes, and icons to create a set of graphic landmarks. These landmarks can improve a child’s route learning ability, a skill important for navigation in the future. (115) They act as spatial cues to help students, faculty and any visitors understand where they are and where they need to go. In fact, clear wayfinding is associated with reduction in anxiety and increases efficiency for students, staff, and visitors. (71) Wayfinding strategies do not need to be solely signage. Clever use of color, branding, texture, and materials can orient users, and reinforce a sense of school spirit. These graphics can also encourage healthy behavior, such as taking the stairs. Wayfinding and design strategies can turn stairs from means of egress into gathering spaces. Learning stairs are often included as a connection between levels. Learning stairs foster community and collaboration, while also promoting physical activity. (116) (117) The benefits can be further highlighted through design strategies, such as signage and graphics.

Collaboration

Thoughtfully designed circulations spaces can support both structured collaboration and spontaneous human connection. Developing collaboration skills is an essential skill for social development and has implications for future job performance, building healthy relationships, and conflict resolution. (72) In fact, the International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavior Sciences indicates that childhood friendships are good for kids’ mental health. (118) These friendships can begin organically in collaboration zones in the hallways. Spaces beyond the classroom can be activated as breakout areas, learning pods, and co-teaching spaces. These collaboration zones extend learning beyond the classroom to foster a learning neighborhood. (119)The International Association for K-12 Learning highlights learning neighborhoods as opportunities for form community, both for students and teachers. (120) In a study by George Washington University, professors were more likely to help or collaborate with teachers within their “zone.” (121) That study supported another published in the journal Sociology of Education that casual meetings enhanced teachers’ professional development. (122) Designing neighborhoods with collaboration spaces ultimately offers benefits to students and teachers. (123)

25-30 percent of a school’s total square footage is corridor space. This valuable space can be utilized in a variety of ways for learning. (124)