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INTERIORS FOCUS ON FUNCTION Provide Daylight Increased access to daylight has been shown to improve an individual's mood and his or her ability to manage stress. Teaching and learning environments are, therefore, being designed with more open floor plans that provide greater access to daylight. For example, Elgin Community College fi lled its Health and Life Sciences Building with natural light by maximizing exterior windows within Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) guidelines, and then used clerestory windows to bring that light into interior classrooms and key student collaborative areas. Create Interprofessional Spaces Increasingly, college and university facilities are being designed to bring diverse programs — engineering, nursing, and business, for example — and their research functions together in a single, shared facility. This approach can bring both cost and operational efficiencies. More importantly, it creates opportunities for interprofessional collaboration and interactive learning while helping to bridge academics with business (bench, to bed, to market), giving students a more well-rounded experience. The Us® Chair family has the unique ability to fit any campus environment. With 15 new inspiring colors it is sure to enhance any classroom or casual learning area. At American Seating we want to help you design your learning landscape. Be sure to visit the growing Us Family this year at NeoCon Showroom 10-148. Facilitate Real-World Training Academic institutions are using more hands-on, less theoretical teaching methods that help students to transition more smoothly into the work world. This approach is also influencing the design of facility interiors. For example, as in "real-world" hospitals and clinics, front-of-house/back-of-house functional separations are being implemented in dental, nursing, and allied health educational buildings. In addition to creating a more trueto-life learning experience, these separations improve patient flow and provide a safer environment for such tasks as equipment sterilization. The use of impactful design and "real-world" finishes, americanseating.com 76 COLLEGE PLANNING & MANAGEMENT / MAY 2013 WWW.PLANNING 4EDUCATION.COM