Association for Learning Environments

🎉 Congratulations to five outstanding members who have been recognized as ICONs in Education Design by Learning By Design magazine.

This prestigious recognition celebrates professionals whose leadership, vision, and contributions have helped shape exceptional learning environments and advance the field of learning environment planning and design.

We are proud to celebrate:
• Gary Armbruster, FAIA, ALEP
• Irene Nigaglioni, FAIA, ALEP, LEED AP, LE Fellow
• Robin Randall, FAIA, ALEP, LEED AP BD+C
• Sean O'Donnell, FAIA, LEED AP
• David Reid, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP, ALEP, ECLPS

Their achievements reflect the expertise, innovation, and commitment to excellence found throughout the learning environment community.

Congratulations to this exceptional group of leaders on this well-deserved honor, and thank you to Learning By Design Magazine for recognizing the individuals who continue to make a lasting impact on learning environments around the world.

📖 Read the feature: https://pubs.royle.com/publication/?i=865212&p=32&view=issueViewer

We're spotlighting one of our valued Ruby Annual Partners: Smith System®!

For decades, Smith System has been dedicated to creating learning environments that enable the genius inside every student. Guided by their belief that thoughtfully designed spaces can transform the learning experience, they partner with educators, designers, and school districts to create flexible, future-ready environments where every learner can thrive.

As Thomas Cook, President of Smith System, shares, “At Smith System, everything we do is driven by one purpose: creating environments that enable the genius inside every student. Our partnership with A4LE strengthens that mission. A4LE brings together the leaders shaping the future of learning, and together we ensure students and educators have spaces designed for their success.”

That's the kind of partner energy we love at A4LE. Thank you, Smith System, for helping create learning environments that support student success, well-being, and opportunity for all learners.

Learn more at www.smithsystem.com

Congratulations to the 2026 SchoolsNEXT National Winners!

This year’s students challenged themselves to reimagine future-ready learning environments through creativity, collaboration, sustainability, and innovation, and the results were truly inspiring.

🏆 Award of Excellence — Middle School
Lakeview Middle School (Kansas City, MO)
Project: Ascend Academy
Region: A4LE Midwest Great Lakes Region

🏆 Award of Excellence — High School
Design Commission (Vancouver, WA)
Project: Ridgefield Agricultural School
Region: A4LE Pacific Northwest Region

We’re also excited to share that these winning teams will showcase their projects at LearningSCAPES in Seattle, where attendees will have the opportunity to hear directly from the students behind these innovative designs.

Thank you to our jurors, mentors, teachers, chapter and regional champions, annual partners, and everyone who helps make SchoolsNEXT possible each year. Your support continues to inspire the next generation of designers and changemakers.

Explore all winning projects and learn more about SchoolsNEXT:

https://www.a4le.org/A4LE/Programs_Awards/SchoolsNEXT/Past_Winners_Celebrate_Your_School.aspx

Announcing our LearningSCAPES 2026 Closing Keynote!

Eric Sheninger, internationally recognized leader, best-selling author, and founder/CEO of Aspire Change EDU, will take the stage to challenge how we think about teaching, learning, and leadership.

Eric has worked with thousands of schools worldwide, helping educators not just adapt to change, but lead it in ways that measurably improve learner outcomes. As the award-winning former principal of New Milford High School, he transformed his school into a globally recognized model for innovation, proving that sustainable, system-wide change is possible.

Now, his focus is on what’s next: leveraging research, evidence-based practices, and AI to empower both learners and educators in real, practical ways.

This isn’t about inspiration for inspiration’s sake. It’s about walking away with the mindset and the strategies to lead meaningful change that actually sticks.

If you’re serious about the future of learning environments, this is how we finish strong.

Join Us at LearningSCAPES Seattle: https://learningscapes.a4le.org/

Not all projects fit the same mold- and that's a good thing!

Our Project Awards offer three categories, and today we're highlighting the Component Award.

This category recognizes standout parts of a project—spaces or initiatives that bring the Core Values to life in meaningful, innovative ways.

Think:
• An outdoor learning environment that transforms how students engage
• A makerspace designed for creativity and exploration
• A media center that becomes the heart of the school
• A project that authentically brings diverse voices into the process

Need an award-winning example?

Last year’s winner, Jefferson Early Learning Center: Themed Play Spaces (“Play Experience”) by PBK, turned immersive, culturally responsive environments into powerful learning moments for young students.

See More Here: https://awards.a4le.org/

If there’s a specific element of your project that truly shines, this is your category.

📌Why submit? Because powerful ideas often live in the details, and those details deserve recognition.

Learn more and register here: https://www.a4le.org/A4LE/A4LE/Programs_Awards/Awards/Design_Awards/Project_Awards.aspx?hkey=676fb947-3407-484b-a2e5-23115932468e

Louisiana Chapter Tour
April 27, 2026
5:00 – 6:30 PM

1201 Felicity Street
New Orleans, LA 70130

St. Augustine High School: Building on a Legacy of Excellence
St. Augustine High School’s campus renovation advances a legacy of excellence through targeted upgrades to both the main school and the Rigaud Health & Wellness Center. This tour will highlight how focused interventions improve visibility, flexibility, and student experience across academic and wellness spaces.

Register Here:

2026 Louisiana Chapter Tour - April Don't miss your chance to attend the premier conference for educational facility planners! November 4-7, 2026 in Seattle, WA

Excited to share that the Spring 2026 edition of Learning By Design Magazine is now live!

This issue features more than 50 exemplary learning environments across Pre-K–12, higher education, career and technical education, and community-based spaces nationwide. It also brings together a compelling collection of articles focused on advancing the learning-built environment and continuing to push the field forward.

A special highlight includes two contributions from A4LE: Designing at the Crossroads: Pedagogy, Equity, and the Reality of School Funding by Tim R. McClure, AIA, NCARB, Chair of the Board, and Advancing Learning Environments Through LED Retrofits and Intelligent Control by Frank Brunneman and David Daniel, AIA. These pieces reflect the strength of leadership and vision shaping the future of educational environments.

If you’re thinking about where learning environments are headed, this issue is well worth your time.

We're spotlighting one of our valued Diamond Annual Partners: Artcobell!

Since 1965, Artcobell has been on a mission to create school furniture that stands up to real classroom life while genuinely supporting the students and teachers who use it. Their "Through Their Eyes" initiative reflects a deep commitment to understanding how learners experience their environments and designing around that.

As Patricia Cadigan, their Chief Development Officer, puts it, “At artcobell, we believe learning environments should be designed through students’ eyes. Our partnership with A4LE connects us with leaders who share that belief—that space is not just a backdrop for learning, but an active participant in student success.”

That's the kind of partner energy we love at A4LE. Thank you, artcobell, for helping shape learning environments that truly put students first.

Learn more at artcobell.com

The Accredited Learning Environment Planner® (ALEP®) credential is an ongoing commitment to excellence.

The ALEP has been the gold standard for professionals dedicated to shaping the physical spaces where children learn and grow. It represents a standard of excellence in learning environment planning. It signals more than knowledge; it reflects applied expertise in planning environments that support student success.

The ALEP isn't a finish line. It's a foundation and a community.

If you're serious about the future of learning environments, this is the credential that grows with you.

A4LE Academy Advanced Certificate Pathway: https://www.a4le.org/A4LE/A4LE/Resources/A4LE_Academy/A4LE_Academy.aspx?hkey=df241ae6-cfe9-47e1-90a0-219f345a801e

Professional Pathway: https://www.a4le.org/A4LE/A4LE/Resources/ALEP/Pathway.aspx?hkey=db01e689-712a-49d3-adea-542ed86834ad