Wooden classrooms  are a natural choice for school buildings. Whether used as an exam room, teamwork space or traditional classroom, the warm and inviting environment of wooden structures helps students focus on their work and achieve optimal learning conditions. The benefits are not limited to the purely aesthetic, either: studies show that acoustics and lighting also have an impact on student performance and wellbeing.

Why Wooden Classrooms Are the Future of Sustainable Learning Environments

Psychophysiologically, studies demonstrate that students in wooden classrooms have lower heart rates and a reduced perception of stress. The reason for this may lie in the biophilic effect of the material. Studies have shown that wood elicits positive responses similar to the response people have towards trees. While blank walls do not evoke any reaction, wood texture and patterns elicit biophilic responses in humans that are calming and engaging without distracting.

Modular timber classrooms are a turnkey solution for schools that help administrators deal with rapid demand for school infrastructure. Constructed offsite in a factory environment, mass timber modules are prefabricated and can be erected in short time periods with minimal impact on the site. With a high level of design flexibility, the kits are designed to optimize spans that minimize wood fiber density while remaining structurally efficient. They also allow for a modular column grid that is adaptable to site, pedagogy and program requirements.

Technological innovations in timber can further enhance the building’s natural thermal performance. Air source heat pumps, for example, can utilize the building’s wall cavity to extract energy from the ambient air and power radiators – providing a highly effective solution that is often more cost-efficient than conventional concrete or steel alternatives.