FRACTAL FLOORING IN EDUCATION
The rapidly developing, urbanizing, and digitalizing world has distanced many people from nature and the natural processes that were once a central part of everyday life. Given the number of hours children and adults spend indoors in often outdated educational facilities, they are particularly at risk of the consequences of environments devoid of nature, which can affect mood, concentration, and overall well-being.
In many cases, due to the nature of these spaces, a seamless transition between indoors and outdoors, as well as the integration of biophilic elements such as plants and natural materials, is limited. This creates a greater need for natural analogues, which have been studied for decades by Prof. Dr. Richard Taylor at the University of Oregon and Fractals Research.
Through our nearly ten-year collaboration within the ScienceDesignLab, we have developed fractal-based flooring for Mohawk Group, one of the most effective natural analogues based on well-established international scientific research. By significantly reducing stress while enhancing well-being to support healthier learning environments, this research has been translated into several flooring collections.
We are deeply grateful that one of the world's leading architectural firms recognized the science behind this product development and its architectural applications within educational environments. Special thanks to the City Hall Library and Children's Museum in Columbus, the Appleby College in Oakville and the Ohio State Student Entrepreneurs Center for showcasing these outstanding examples of fractal flooring in use.
Credits: © Tom Kessler