How textiles can enhance learning environments

Acoustic comfort 

In classrooms and breakout spaces, listening, learning and dialogue are at the core of every activity. For this reason, it is essential that the physical environment supports clear speech, balanced sound distribution, and an overall atmosphere that enables focus. 

Our recommendations: 

• Installing Soft Cells on the upper parts of the side and back walls, as well as along the ceiling edges, helps to manage reverberation effectively. This ensures speech intelligibility across the room, while keeping the front or blackboard area slightly reflective to support clear projection of the teacher’s voice.  

• In breakout rooms, flexibility is key. Kvadrat’s Waves curtain offers a flexible way to divide spaces, reduce noise and increase privacy in adaptable zones for group work or focused study. This makes learning environments more versatile and responsive to different teaching methods. 

Thermal and visual comfort 

In classrooms and breakout spaces, brightness and temperature strongly affect students’ ability to focus, see screens, and collaborate comfortably. Large windows bring natural light but can also cause glare, overheating, and visual discomfort. Roller blinds with metallised textiles help manage these issues by reflecting solar radiation, reducing glare and heat gain in summer, and helping retain warmth in colder months. 

Our recommendations: 

• Fit roller blinds with metallised fabrics across windows facing direct sunlight, to effectively block harsh light during critical hours. 

• Use blinds that fit the purpose of the space. When participating in group work or discussion, opt for semi-transparent blinds to maintain openness and view, and consider opaque or even blockout options for presentation modes. Kvadrat Shade offers a range of textile options, including transparent, semi-transparent, non-transparent and blockout.   

• Opt for motorised or smart blind systems equipped with sensors for light and temperature, enabling the blinds to respond automatically, maintaining consistency throughout the day. 

Design and functionality  

In classrooms, textiles are much more than a decorative element. Our textiles bring clarity, calm, and comfort into classrooms. Engineered for both performance and durability, they ensure that educational spaces remain inspiring and inclusive, helping teachers to perform at their best and supporting every student in achieving their potential. Colour also plays a vital role. Warm, muted tones can help create calm, focused environments for concentrated learning, while brighter shades can stimulate energy and engagement. 

Our recommendations:  

• Select colour palettes that align with the desired atmosphere of the room. Opt for calm and muted tones to create a focused environment, or introduce energising colours to encourage participation and engagement.
• Use our upholstery, featuring high durability and a Martindale value of over 80,000*, such as Reflect, Autumn, Field 2, Remix 3, Floyd, and Clara 2. 

^{* The official Martindale scale covers 0 to 100.000 cycles. Some brands claim higher ratings than this, but the official Martindale testing scale does not support this.} 

Acoustic comfort  

Auditoriums are spaces where speech must remain clear and intelligible for every listener. Achieving this relies on a careful balance between room geometry, sound absorption, and reflection. Useful reflections support speech clarity, while disruptive ones that cause echoes or blur are absorbed. 

Our recommendations: 

• Install Kvadrat Acoustics Soft Cells panels or Tracks on upper wall areas and ceiling edges, keeping the presentation zone reflective to enhance speech clarity. 

• In auditoriums with high ceilings, consider full ceiling coverage with Soft Cells panels; additional acoustic treatment may still be required. 

• Optimise performance through a detailed sound distribution analysis rather than relying solely on absorber placement. 

Thermal and visual comfort 

In auditoriums, where lectures and large-group events take place, effective management of light and glare is essential. Kvadrat Shade metallised roller blind textiles offer a powerful solution to these challenges by reflecting up to 74% of incoming sunlight. As windows are often positioned high on the walls, automation becomes particularly important to ensure consistent and effortless control. All of our roller blind textiles are flame-retardant, PVC-free, and exceptionally durable, qualities that are vital for auditoriums that must withstand intensive use. 

Our recommendations 

• Integrate automated roller blind systems to enable effortless operation and precise adjustment of shading, particularly for high-level windows that are difficult to access manually. 

• Select roller blind fabrics with a lower openness factor and, when necessary, blockout versions for performances or presentations requiring full control of light. 

• Use metallised roller blind textiles to minimise glare from overhead lighting or projection screens, while maintaining a balanced daylight level. 

Design and functionality  

Textiles define the ambience of auditoriums. They introduce softness and colour to large spaces, creating warmth and a clear sense of identity. In addition to shaping the atmosphere, our textiles are highly durable and designed for long-term use. This ensures that auditoriums maintain aesthetic quality over many years, even under the demands of intensive daily use. 

Our recommendations: 

• Select textiles designed for long-term use, ensuring that auditoriums retain their functional and aesthetic qualities even under intensive use. Here we have textiles as Steelcut Quartet, Field 2, Gentle 2, and Hallingdal 65.  

Acoustic comfort  

Open space study areas such as libraries, open common areas, and similar, require focused sound absorption to ensure quality-of-space via comfort, privacy and local intelligibility. 

Our recommendations: 

• Use Waves acoustic curtains to define quiet study zones with enhanced privacy within libraries without permanent partitions. 
• In open study areas, install Soft Cells on large ceiling surfaces, with targeted absorption above seating and social zones to effectively control noise. 
• In study areas with skylights, Baffles can be installed to control reverberation without the need for horizontal acoustic treatment. 

Thermal and visual comfort 

In libraries and study zones, controlling light and glare is essential to create calm, focused environments. Kvadrat Shade roller blinds with metallised textiles have been developed to regulate daylight and temperature, thereby reducing visual strain and supporting concentration levels throughout the day. Automated systems ensure seamless adjustment to changing light conditions, thereby maintaining a consistently comfortable and quiet atmosphere ideal for reading, studying, and reflection. 

Our recommendation: 

• Choose a semi-transparent, metallised textile to reduce glare and heat gain while preserving daylight and views, supporting long periods of focused study. 

Design and functionality  

Libraries and study zones require environments that balance concentration, comfort, and durability. Textiles can contribute to a well-being oriented environment where visitors can immerse themselves in reading and studying. Upholstery can bring tactility and warmth to reading chairs, study sofas, and collaborative seating, creating spaces that feel inviting rather than institutional. 

Our recommendations: 

• Choose upholsteries with proven durability and easy-care properties to withstand intensive daily use while maintaining their aesthetic appeal. Specify tactile, comfortable textiles for study seating to encourage prolonged use. Here you can use our Technicolour, Steelcut Trio 3, Hallingdal 65, Coda 2, and Serpentine.

• Our panel fabrics help create a well-being-oriented environment that encourages focus, comfort, and immersion in reading and study. Suitable options include textiles such as Canvas 2, Atlas, Divina 3, and Guest.

Acoustic comfort 

Social and breakout spaces should feel lively yet comfortable, allowing easy conversation without excessive background noise. The right acoustic balance supports interaction, focus, and well-being in shared educational environments. 

Our recommendations 

• Install Soft Cells in the ceiling with moderate to high absorption to reduce reverberation time and overall sound levels. 

• Position curtains to limit sound propagation and maintain speech privacy across zones. 

Design and functionality  

Canteens and lunch areas are central to the social and cultural life of educational institutions. They are high-traffic environments where textiles must balance functionality with atmosphere. Our upholsteries contribute warmth and tactility, softening the often hard surfaces typically found in dining spaces. By introducing colour and texture, textiles create a welcoming ambience that encourages relaxation, informal dialogue, and a sense of community. 

Our recommendations: 

• Choose upholstery fabrics with high durability and easy to clean properties, such as those designed to resist stains and wear, ensuring furniture remains fresh and inviting over time. Here we have textiles as Haku. Reflect, Autumn, Field 2, Floyd, and Clara 2. 

• Use curtains in bold colours or layered compositions to add vibrancy and character to canteens and lunch areas. Here we have our curtains as Air 4, Rocket, Zulu 2, Noon 2 and Daybreak 2.