Moseley Architects presented a furniture fair in the lower gym on April 16 for Chapel Hill students and staff to join in on the decision-making process for the new school.
The company has been contracted by the district to design the new Chapel Hill High School. It previously designed the renovation of the Phillips Middle School media center, where Moseley Architects also allowed some students to test furniture options.
Participants in the fair could vote for their top three student chairs and desks, teacher chairs and collaborative workspace chairs to decide which were the most comfortable and functional.
The fair was arranged so that all of the physical education classes, comprised mostly of freshmen, had the chance to come during their class periods.
“We’re really glad with how many students have come through. The freshmen are the ones who are going to be using the furniture for the longest out of this group,” Moseley Architects interior designer Melissa Almond said.
Physical education teacher Ben Reed felt that the fair benefitted the students.
“I like that it is empowering the students to make decisions,” Reed said.
Freshman Stella Moorman was excited to have input on the design of the new school.
“The fair is nice because, this way, it’s not just the cheapest chair; it’s whatever chair the students prefer, so it makes the learning environment better,” Moorman said.
Much of the furniture displayed was multi-purpose, including adjustable desks and individual collaborative desks. Almond emphasized the importance of modern classroom design.
“The key thing that’s happening right now in classroom design is trying to get away from the traditional desks in rows,” Almond said. “We want to enable teachers to teach based on the curriculum, and having flexible furniture that can be used individually or in group work is really important.”
