David Jakes Designs LLC

11/11/2024

School architects and designers have the unique responsibility—and opportunity—to push the boundaries of traditional design, creating spaces that are beyond the historical and expected school design. In my latest blog post, I explore how architects and designers can transform the Discovery phase of the school design process to become a process for bold, collaborative design that reimagines educational environments. From developing creative capacity in educators, enlisting teachers and students as co-designers to creating diverse, off-campus design teams, and rethinking client visitations, I dive into strategies that expand creative perspectives and foster a more innovative, future-focused approach to school design. Check out the full post to discover how this reimagined process can empower architects and educators alike to create dynamic, purpose-driven learning spaces.

Read the full post here:

Transformative design means transforming educator mindsets.

09/04/2024

The core purpose of a classroom has always been to create a space where students eager to learn can connect with dedicated educators. This timeless mission remains, but as the world evolves, so must our learning environments. The traditional classroom, designed for a different era, needs to be reimagined to support the learning experiences that will equip students for their future.

For over a decade, I have devoted my career to this mission, collaborating closely with educators, designers, and architects to redefine educational spaces. My work spans beyond just classrooms to include the redesign of libraries, makerspaces, and even hallways. I’ve also had the unique opportunity to design an innovation center, an entrepreneurial hub, and a STREAM facility (think STEAM plus religion!) and partner with architectural firms to support the design of entire schools.

My design philosophy is deeply rooted in my extensive experience - 15 years in the classroom and 12 years in school leadership as an instructional technologist. This foundation guides my approach to designing spaces that truly enhance the teaching and learning experience. For me, the experience is paramount, followed by the physical elements—furniture, lighting, walls, etc., that bring the design to life. This ensures that every space aligns with the school’s vision for teaching and learning.

I take pride in creating functional, innovative, adaptable, and forward-thinking learning environments. These spaces are designed to be flexible and meet a wide range of pedagogical needs for today and into the future. By reimagining learning spaces, we can create inspirational environments and extend the educational experience in meaningful ways.

I offer comprehensive design services, including support for furniture, fixtures, and equipment (FF&E), technology integration, and professional development. I can also seamlessly collaborate with your school architect, adding valuable capacity to their design efforts. Together with my architectural partner, Jason Meyering Architecture of Chicago, who specializes in educational spaces, we form a dynamic team capable of delivering exceptional designs that truly support and elevate the work you do.

Let's start a conversation if you’re considering redesigning your school spaces. I take pride in providing a responsive and professional approach that prioritizes your school’s unique needs and aspirations. Let’s work together to create environments that inspire educators and students alike. I have openings for design projects for this school year.

You can connect with me here or message me through my website at: davidjakesdesigns.com/contact. You can see more images at: davidjakesdesigns.com/gallery

Here are examples of our project work:

07/17/2024

Developing a strategic approach to using AI in the classroom starts with asking the right questions. Here’s question 25 out of 67 from my reflective guide to successful AI integration in education. How would you respond to this provocation? hashtag

05/19/2024

"Am I Cheating?" New at http://davidjakesdesigns.com. My take on the all too common refrain about AI from educators and how students will use it to cheat. Read it here; comments are welcome. https://davidjakesdesigns.com/ideas/2024/5/19/am-i-cheating

Leading with cheating as a reason not to use AI doesn’t work.

10/18/2023

Like many of you, I've been exploring generative AI through ChatGPT-4 and other tools. As a designer, I was interested in how this type of AI capacity could support a distinctly human-centered process. Over the past 6 months, I've come to some conclusions about the intersection of AI and design. My thoughts are captured in this post, Artificial Intelligence and the Design Process. In the post, I reflect on how I use AI to support my work and the potential of the tool to impact design. I provide an overview of the tools I use and how I use them. Also, this post was written entirely by me, but I have also included links at the end of the post to the same post where I asked ChatGPT-4 to improve it and a post written on the subject entirely by AI so that you can see the differences. Read it here:

Get that really smart colleague you’ve always wanted.

12/01/2022

New: "Predictability in a Beta World." My take on the systems and hierarchies of education that create predictable conditions for the operation of schools, but actually serve to impede organizational growth and improvement. In the article, I make a case for design as a way to leverage unpredictability as a strategic asset.

School improvement means accepting some level of unpredictability.

11/28/2022

I'm proud to announce that my book, The Design Thinking Classroom, will launch in January 2023. The book is a practitioner's guide for reimagining classroom practice and the daily student experience by applying design thinking as part of a contemporary pedagogy.

The book also makes a case for the emergence of a new role for the classroom teacher - the educator-designer. If you want to learn more about the book, here's a link to reviews and what's inside. http://davidjakesdesigns.com/my-book

06/09/2022

I'm excited to partner with krM Architecture of Indianapolis to redesign the Indianapolis Public Library's children's and teen space called The Learning Curve. A great opportunity for the library to explore the intersection of community, literacy, and learning and what that means for the design of a new space.

06/09/2022

I'm looking forward to serving on the Reimagine America's Schools design team, working with the Clayton Co. School District (GA) and the City of Forest Park, GA, to explore the potential connections between a new middle school and the downtown Forest Park community. I've wanted to work with RAS for awhile now so I'm glad to have this opportunity.

02/10/2022

Proud to have contributed to the design of WSR's new elementary buildings.

09/21/2021

I’m proud to share the design for the Mason High School (OH) library redesign. The new space focuses on developing an educational version of a third place, with a range of spatial typologies designed to support the development of community and the school’s vision of personalized learning.

The space includes a coffeehouse/bookstore, a Work Cafe, and a Creative Commons. Associated with the three main spaces are student support concierge desks, a conferencing area, an Esports practice space, a maker area, and a high-end multimedia production facility.

The center of the space is anchored by an original piece of millwork that provides a venue for presentations, speakers, and music events that faces into the coffee shop and into the Work Cafe. The space is designed for the flexibility, agility, and adaptability needed to support a range of social-academic uses.

The design is based on my original discovery work in 2019 and focuses on an entirely new vision for the use of this space to support student agency, choice, and ownership. While the space has specific zones, we envision students using a variety of spaces on-demand to support their learning needs.

My work as an educational designer could never be this compelling without the terrific encouragement and design support from my architectural partner, Jason Meyering of Jason Meyering Architecture of Chicago, Illinois. See Jason's terrific portfolio at jasonmeyering.com.

09/20/2021

I'm excited to share part of the David Jakes Designs concept design for a new corridor space for Mason High School in Mason, OH. The current space could be considered a typical hallway with dated lockers that are no longer used by students. The corridor leads to the school's library, which is being redesigned as well. The design is also a proof of concept for other hallway areas throughout the school, and in part supports the school's move to personalized learning.

For the new design, the lockers have been removed to open the space to create new spatial opportunities. We've designed this as an invitational space that will promote the development of community and connect students to the larger library space, which the corridor leads to. The space features multiple options for furniture, along with benching and a gathering stair. We've included a whiteboard corner, which we believe can support ideation and community question-problem solving opportunities. The space also includes spaces for books in the gathering stair as well as a crowd-sourced little library along a pillar - a nod to literacy and to the library that is adjacent. Finally, we have added a grey wall calendar writable surface that can be used to advertise community events. Access to a new coffee shop in the new library completes the design. Thanks to Mason High School and Jason Meyering Architecture of Chicago (jasonmeyering.com) for being great design partners