This is a great story of Lotus making an architect’s vision become a reality. Progressive education architects, Gray Puksand, had a concept of panels that rotated around a central post, that allowed a connection from a classroom with its adjacent space. The product needed to be easy to use and create the ability to divide space but just as important, to create new spaces. Lotus were happy to rise to the challenge and developed the Rotating Panel System.

This approach is aligned with the current teaching ‘pedagogy’ or philosophy which recognises that the student needs to be at the centre of the learning experience, that different topics need to be taught in different ways, and that students have different learning styles that need to be accommodated.

Progressive education building design considers the new pedagogy and the buildings are more open plan and with spaces that are much more connected. Walking the building at Alamanda College you get a sense that each classroom flows into a wide common area, and into the next classroom and that there are no highly defined and isolated spaces such as the traditional classroom.

The Lotus Rotating Panel System is part of creating the quick and easy connection, and flexibility of spaces. This transformation of space is done so in a soft manner that is more nuanced than traditional moving wall products that are typically either open or closed.

Talking with the user groups, the building design and the Rotating Panels were at first confronting to the teachers and students, perhaps used to more traditional spaces, but they have come to embrace the situation as it became obvious how their built environment supported their modern teaching style.

As you can see by the student’s work pinned to the walls, they are very much a part of the fabric of the classrooms at Alamanda College.

Currently available for all commercial applications please contact us for further product details and assistance with specification.