Designing the Space of Learning: York University Classroom Renewal 

By 2019, many of York University’s 282 common-pool classrooms no longer served contemporary teaching. Most dated from the 1970s. ACi worked with York to create a Classroom Design Standard and Renewal Program centred on flexibility, accessibility, and integrated technology.

In 2023, we began designing the renewal of 32 classrooms. The first eight opened in 2025 and include flat-floor rooms, tiered rooms and a fixed-seat lecture hall. The work is more than an upgrade to worn infrastructure. It gives York a practical model for classrooms that can change with students, technology, and teaching.