'Form Follows Learning': How DLA Architects' business model is impacting educational outcomes

Kenna Hansen attends Lyons Township High School in LaGrange, Illinois. In a recent YouTube video, Kenna explains how the architecture of her school's newly renovated cafeteria has made a positive impact on students' grades: "One thousand students flood the doors (to the cafeteria) every day to recharge not only their bodies but also their minds."

Before the redesign in 2015, the school cafeteria was dark and windowless. The renovation included the insertion of large windows and skylights to bring the outdoors inside, along with a courtyard area where students can picnic with their friends without leaving school grounds. The space was reconstructed to fit more student seating and condense the amount of lunch periods from five to four, which provided 25 more minutes of study hall.

DLA Architects, a full-service architectural firm that provides educational institutions solutions to 21st-century learning, are the masterminds behind Kenna's renovated "smarter" cafeteria. DLA Architects' niche is partnering with educational leaders in designing state-of-the-art learning spaces. The firm's philosophy, "Form Follows Learning," is the reason they've made such a significant impact in the space.

"We listen closely to our clients' educational philosophy to guide us in designing a building that inspires learning," states Carrie Matlock, president of DLA Architects. "We also believe in challenging our clients by encouraging them to work alongside us to not only meet current needs but also to prepare them for the future."

DLA Architects provides their clients with a customized 21st-century educational design process that's beyond unique. They have a knack for leveraging each part of a school's building structure to transform it into an interactive learning experience. As a result, students are inspired by the functionality of their learning environment.

Also published on YouTube, Bartlett High School student Marina Filipek offers a tour of BHS's Academy of Science, Engineering and High Technology Lab, designed by DLA Architects back in the 1990s. The program was groundbreaking then and still holds a significant impact on students. BHS's Academy and Technology Lab were built with practicality in mind: to foster creativity and ignite collaboration. Windows from the corridor and the Tech Lab's open-plan layout put learning on display. The exposed mechanical chases overhead don't only create an industrial aesthetic, they provide insight into the school facility's functions and encourages systems thinking.

"The intricate pipe and structural work inspires students to think about the world around them," states Marina. "It's about thinking outside the box - outside the walls in which we find ourselves in every day."

At the end of Marina's video tour of her school's lab, she states, "It's about building and refining the skills necessary to provide a promising future."

To keep the momentum going, each year the DLA team and a client attend Learning Environments for Tomorrow (LEFT), a program jointly designed by the Harvard Graduate School of Education and the Harvard Graduate School of Design.

Here they collaborate with educators and architects from around the world and ultimately learn more about the connection between the built environment and the educational delivery process. It's a great opportunity for educational leaders to learn how to connect their educational delivery process to the architecture.

"After going through the program with one of our clients, they went back to the board immediately to present new ideas and designs," stated Edward L. Wright, a partner at DLA.

DLA strives for a better future by continuing to partner with educational leaders and advocating the importance of "Form Follows Learning" and the environments we build for our future leaders.