Consideration Factors for School Library Furniture

school library sofa

Reading is a skill that becomes a lifelong habit for relaxation, entertainment and learning, and schools play an essential role in encouraging students to hone this skill. Our school library furniture systems can create a motivational space to help make the life of a teacher easier.

What are the design factors to consider for school library furniture?

When it comes to designing a school library it’s important to focus on the needs of the students and the uses of a school library. Creating an effective learning environment will require detailed planning, especially when the space will need to accommodate large groups of students. At Benchmark Products, we work closely with you to achieve the best possible school library furniture solution and to ensure you get exactly what you’ve envisioned.

Some of the important design factors you’ll need to consider for your school library furniture include:

Quiet spaces – Will be needed for students to read silently and focus during independent work, reflection and study.

Collaboration spaces – May be required for teamwork and group projects where students can freely discuss, share and present their ideas.

Shape and size of the room – Before investing in school library furniture architects and designers must take into consideration the shape and size of the space you have to work with. If you have a larger space creating separate areas, using partitions and including extras such as technology will be easier. However, with a smaller room to work with, you’ll need to think about how best to optimise the available space. We can create compact, bespoke school library furniture solutions for any unique situation.

At Benchmark, we take pride in school library furniture suppliers and designers. Take a look at the library furniture we designed and manufactured for Cantley Primary School which included a quiet reading area, storage solutions and an engaging design for young students.

Storage – Having a suitable amount of storage space will ensure the library is tidy and organised and is a great way to maximise space as the dimensions can be made to perfectly fit every centimetre available. Using the same high-quality materials that our products are known for we can create the ideal storage solution to help enhance the learning environment of the school library.

Colour/Theme – You’ll want to create a welcoming and vibrant school library that will not only encourage students to read but become associated with a happy environment in which students enjoy spending time. Choosing colours that reflect the school can instil a sense of pride amongst all members of the school community, resulting in an increase in motivation.

The library furniture we created for St Michael’s V.A Junior School was manufactured in white with splashes of lime green upholstery and decorations to create a fun, vibrant yet clean and spacious area. We also created curved shelving to follow the contour of the walkways and different height shelving to create quiet reading spaces.

A school library by Benchmark Products

What are the functionality factors to consider for school library furniture?

While the design of school library furniture is important, functionality plays an equally vital role to ensure your library runs smoothly and is made to last. Some of the functional factors you’ll need to consider for your school library furniture include:

Budget – When it comes to planning both the design and functionality of school library furniture the budget you set is arguably the most important factor to consider. While going for the less expensive options may be appealing it may cost you more in the long run as school furniture needs to endure a lot of wear and tear and lower-priced products and materials will reflect that in the quality.

Flexibility – Gone are the days when stationary desks, chairs and shelving are sought after. The school furniture of the future is now flexible and mobile, allowing students and teachers to move furniture as needed to create space for activities. Our school library furniture features both fixed and free-standing shelving modules to enable movability and can be made to fit challenging shapes. For more information on our FF&E read our complete FF&E guide.

Durability – As mentioned previously, school furniture typically goes through a lot of wear and tear so it’s important the furniture created is made from strong, high-quality materials that will stand the test of time. Not only do we utilise a wide range of materials including stainless steel, glass and solid surfacing, but all of our processes are rigorously assessed to ensure wastage is minimised in line with our sustainability policy.

What is our method for installation of library furniture?

We understand how important it is to ensure your school library furniture is installed promptly with as little disruption to staff and students as possible, which is what our unique sub-frame system allows for. Many of our installers have fitted hundreds of bespoke furniture and storage solutions so you can be confident your library will be up and running in no time.

Every project we take on is managed by a dedicated project manager, ensuring a snag-free and on-time delivery. We also endeavour to form successful partnerships with other trades and suppliers so we are able to gather information from all the different trades and run through the requirements with each one, resulting in the project being delivered on time and a satisfied client.

If you want to discuss the requirements of your potential school library furniture project give us a call on 01953 889 603 or send an email to enquiries@benchmarkproducts.co.uk where our highly skilled and knowledgeable team will be able to help and advise.

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This article was written by Dean Fryer, Estimator at Benchmark FF&E Solutions since 2012.

Dean at Benchmark Products

Passionate about collaboration between sub-contractors on site and a demonstrated history in assisting building contractors and architects with producing comprehensive and definitive schedules at pre-tender and pre-contract stage, Dean is an invaluable asset to Benchmark Products and contributes towards the end goal of perfect delivery every time.