Tips for Designing Schools and Educational Buildings

By: David Smith

Architects and engineers have to design functional and visually appealing schools, but must also account for potential problems later down the road that may arise during a building's use. Your school design will see a lot of activity, ranging from excitable preschool children playing indoors and outdoors to older students studying in classes all day. Use these tips for architects on designing schools to enhance your next project.

Potential Problems With Windows

Windows offer students and teachers a view of the outside world, but they can also open your school's occupants up to some future headaches. When designing schools, architects should be mindful of a few specific problems windows can pose to students and staff.

• Glare: Direct sunlight into classrooms can create annoying glares that make it hard to see and can disrupt students' concentration.

• Ultraviolet exposure: Harmful UV rays can travel through glass and cause skin damage to indoor occupants, the same as it affects people outdoors. Students who sit near windows for hours on end in class increase their risk of developing skin cancer later in life.

• Dangerous breakage: Accidents, natural disasters and break-ins can happen at any time and make a school's occupants feel unsafe. When windows break because of any of the previously mentioned events, the loose shards of glass can severely injure students and staff.

• Vandalism: Graffiti is unsightly, especially for educational building design. Signs of vandalism can be expensive to remove if you must entirely replace windows. 

• Interior fading: As sunlight shines through your windows, the ongoing exposure can cause your interior furniture to fade over time. Replacing furniture can be expensive and inconvenient when you've got other budgetary needs to focus on.

• High energy costs: Unregulated indoor temperatures force school staff to adjust the thermostat constantly. The repeated changing of temperatures leads to unnecessary energy use and can cause monthly utility bills to increase.

Madico's Solution

Window film is more than an added touch to an educational building's design. Our commercial and architectural window films can act as barriers against future problems like color fading, increased energy costs and breakage. 

Controls Glare

Our solar control film allows natural light to pass through your school's windows, so staff doesn't have to waste energy on artificial lighting — all while blocking glare. Madico's solar control window film creates a comfortable environment within your school without sacrificing natural lighting and disrupting students' and teachers' productivity on sunny days.

Blocks UV Rays

Madico's window film blocks 99% of UVA and UVB radiation. By incorporating commercial window film into your building's design, you can help protect the school's students and staff from harmful UV and sun exposure.

Increases Safety

Through its powerful adhesive, Madico's window film retains shattered glass, protecting occupants from injury. Our security films make your windows more impact-resistant and can even deter burglary and vandalism. Our safety and security window films can protect school occupants from the following issues.

• Accidents and debris: Mother Nature is a powerful force, but we've engineered and exhaustively tested our safety films to stand up against high winds. If a storm picks up debris that hits your windows, our window film helps hold shattered glass together.

• Explosions: Madico's blast mitigation film, SafetyShield®, serves as a line of defense against breaking glass from an explosion. We have rigorously tested SafetyShield® to meet and surpass blast criteria set forth by GSA and ISO.

• Smash-and-grab incidents: Provide additional protection to your schools and educational buildings with Madico's anti-intrusion films. Our security and safety films are more impact-resistant, making them harder to break. This delay can slow potential intruders.

• Vandalism: Recovering from vandalism can be expensive. Rather than replacing the entire window pane if vandals target your school, our Anti-Graffiti films make it so the only thing you have to replace is the film, not the glass. 

Prevents Fading

The interior of your building shouldn't take a hit, which is another reason we make our window films to block harmful UV rays. You can enjoy peace of mind knowing your school's supplies and furniture aren't in danger of fading. Avoid costly furniture replacements by investing in fade protection window films.

Lowers Energy Costs

Solar and temperature control films dramatically lower air conditioner costs by rejecting the sun's heat in warmer months and reflecting it inside in the winter. Our temperature control films still allow natural light to pass through your window, but without the annoyance of heat accumulation on sunny days. Your school's sunlit and shadowed areas remain regulated despite the differences in sun exposure, creating a comfortable learning environment. By reducing heat gain within your building, you can better regulate the internal temperature and rely less on your thermostat. Cut down your school's energy bills by investing in Madico's solar control films.

Additional Benefits of Commercial Window Film

At Madico, we believe in developing high-quality commercial window films that offer energy savings and added safety and comfort, all while giving your school's exterior a sleek look.

Add Style and Personalization

Madico's Printables Series allows you to add creative touches to your schools and educational buildings. Printables are viewable from both sides of the glass and are an ideal way to customize specific windows. You can use these films to add decoration and privacy and offer a scratch-resistant coating for high-traffic areas like classrooms and halls. We can print any design onto the film, allowing you to customize classroom windows that can inspire young students and capture their imagination.

Increase Privacy

Our decorative films offer privacy solutions to suit anyone. Black Out by Madico films can offer 100% light blockage, while our Frost Matte and decorative films increase privacy with frosted films that resemble etched glass for a fraction of the cost. You can choose your desired opacity to suit your education needs and create private spaces for students, teachers and faculty to learn and grow.

Get More Building Tips for Schools

Madico offers window film product performance resources for architects and specifiers, so you can easily incorporate window film into your next educational building project. As an ARCAT member, we can provide architects and engineers with product information, specifications, catalogs and LEED information for our commercial window films. We're ready to help you enhance your school's design and protect your students against harmful UV exposure today. Learn more about our products or get architectural support from Madico now!