Design & Technology

Design Technology Classroom Design

Design and Technology is a demanding discipline uniting a range of practical and theoretical skills, often in a single, multi-purpose workspace.

Students will need to work individually and collaboratively, taking part in whole-class discussions and spend time refining their designs before constructing prototypes. In practice this means assigning areas for research and analysis, design, planning and fabrication, plus testing and evaluation.

Design Technology Classroom Layouts

Design and technology involves a variety of activities which in turn require a range of specialist facilities. The size of a teaching space will depend on the scope of activities taking place and the maximum group size likely to be accommodated.

Some activities, especially in the research and evaluation phases, require ‘clean spaces’ – large tables and networked CAD/CAM resources – and others need specialist equipment such as woodworking machinery or sewing machines. Presentation equipment, including interactive whiteboards and data projectors, will often be in use – and there’s likely to be a requirement for designated 2D and 3D display areas, as well as secure storage.

Innova excels in the design of practical spaces for textiles, electronics and design and technology rooms. We consult carefully with staff and departmental heads before creating a bespoke plan that is durable, flexible, multi-functional and safe. Our designs are built to withstand the rigours of a demanding tech-focused environment.

Design Tech Furniture /DT Lab Furniture

As a leading interior specialist who offers a one stop solution (design manufacture and install), we can create the perfect learning environment, delivering the right products to reflect the diverse requirements of this curriculum.
Innova can provide a broad range of specialist Design Tech Furniture including, fixed benching, free-standing and mobile units with castors in a range of sizes to suit your requirements. Our range of Design Tech furniture include:

• Heavy duty craft, realisation woodwork and metalwork benches fitted with vices for work with resistant materials: cutting, shaping and joining. Combined with loose tables, create a multi-purpose workspace to suit a range of disciplines.
• Design technology workstations can be freestanding or mobile for added versatility and designed to accommodate large pieces of equipment – such as 3D printers and laser cutters.
• Perimeter benching for table top machines, drills and band saws ensures the students have easy access to essential equipment and provides the teacher with a single site line for supervision.
• Our stylish, practical sawtooth benching delivers the perfect solution for textile environments, offering students more elbow room and space to drape fabrics as well as under bench storage to house sewing machines.
• Learning resource spaces allow students to study away from the main specialist areas and can be used as a support facility. A resources area can be ICT-based, and provide the departmental ICT facility, or act as a focal point and feature two- or three-dimensional displays. Whatever your requirement we can create the perfect solution for you.

Effective storage solutions

It is very important to provide adequate storage space for design and technology environments. Lockable desks and storage units play an important role in keeping the workshop safe and tidy for students. Mobile cupboard and tray units have the advantage that they can be moved to where they are needed. For space efficiency, units can be kept under perimeter worktop and then moved to the centre of the room when pupils need better access to particular resources.

Specially designed pigeon holes provide room to store fabrics neatly and cleanly, whilst large tables make pattern cutting easier. Bespoke D&T suites that create separate zones for research, design, fabrication and testing.

• Durable learning environments that are fit for purpose and easy to maintain
• Versatile design technology furniture to incorporate essential equipment and promotes safe use

A well-resourced, correctly planned Design and Technology refurbishment or new build facilitates a wide range of learning styles and enables staff and students to make more effective use of available resources.