With hundreds of students entering the classroom this fall, ensuring your learning facilities are adequate to meet their needs is nothing short of a must. While many schools think about the technology students need most to succeed, several overlook the importance of the basics, like comfortable lecture hall seating.

Does It Even Matter?

A chair is a chair is a chair, right? Not quite when it comes to building a productive learning environment. Studies have repeatedly shown that people learn better in comfortable environments, and if you’re selecting something that is about as comfortable as a rock, you’re going to have nearly that level of success in the classroom. The last thing instructors want is students to be concerned about their seating, and providing better options mean they’ll never have to give it a second thought as they move this way or that in their seats working to take notes and pay attention in class.

Are There Any Real Options Out There?

If you haven’t shopped for lecture hall seating recently, you may not even know that there are several options available to meet the needs of your students. Take a look at a few.

  • Swing Away Seating: Almost the ideal choice for every single lecture hall, swing away seats are easy to maintain and offer any space a streamlines look that’s perfect. Because they’re mounted above the floor, the space is easy to maintain, and you can add options like foam seat covers and more for student comfort.
  • Beam Seating: Whether you’re searching for radius or straight configurations, fixed beam seating is perfect when you want to maximize the seating space you have on hand. Nothing ever ends up out of place or in the way when you’re talking about fixed beams, and you can even go with additional comfort options like contour foam seats.
  • Single Pedestal Seating: When you want fixed seating, but you need a bit of individuality, this is a great choice. It gives you more functional space planning, as well as a solid level of comfort.
  • Multi-Purpose Seating: Perhaps the most flexible choice of all, multi-purpose seating allows you the opportunity to choose from a number of different seating options, but you can move all of it out of the space should you need it for other things. From traditional stacking chair designs that incorporate ergonomic comfort to stylish modern choices that add real character to your classroom, you might be surprised at the number of available options in this category.

Ready to get started? Contact us today for more information. We’ll help you come up with the ideal lecture hall seating to meet your needs.

Dirksen Junior High in Joilet, IL had a 220 seat auditorium that was in need of updating.  They contacted the design team at Carroll Seating to work with them over the summer to update their auditorium with new maintenance free seating and increase seating if room allowed.  Carroll Seating was excited to take on this project.  Here is the auditorium before:

Before
before

When all options were discussed, the design team chose Camatic’s Quantum Seats. These seats were designed in consultation with leading ergonomists and are arguably the most comfortable seat of its kind in existence. This popular chair is also extremely durable and easy to maintain. Dirksen staff chose it in pearl grey without the upholstery option for easy cleaning. The gravity tilt seats increase comfort using an innovative, fully enclosed counterweight.  They tilt silently and reliably.

The seats have a patented beam mount system that allows seats to be evenly spaced in every row.  Seats can be easily added, removed or re-spaced, as events require. There are 4 ADA accessible arms and 10 ADA removable sleds to ensure compliance and comfort of those with accessibility needs.  Because Carroll Seating chose these seats with their unique mounting system, they were able to install an additional 37 seats into the existing auditorium.  The room now seats 257 people.

Here is a photo after the Carroll Seating installation:

after
after

The team at Carroll Seating was pleased with the finished outcome of this auditorium at Dirksen Junior High School and hope they enjoy it for many school years to come. For more information about this auditorium project, please visit the Carroll Seating website or call us in Elk Grove, IL at 847-434-0909.

In many situations, a solid lecture hall is a must. From educational institutions like schools and universities to large company campuses across the nation, lecture halls are critical. The best lecture halls, though, have unique seating choices that meet both the needs of those listening as well as the speakers themselves. Before you simply go with the first lecture hall seating provider listed in a directory, it’s best to carefully consider every aspect of your seating needs. 

Tiers – Within most lecture halls, tiers are quite common to allow everyone in the room to have a good view of the instructor as well as the front of the room. One key aspect of choosing the best lecture hall seating style to meet your needs is the number of rows per tier you wish to include. Talk to your designer to see what might fit best within your space.

Seating Styles – There are actually a variety of different seating styles available in the world of lecture hall seating, no matter how many rows per tier you want. Perhaps most traditional is fixed style seating. There are many options here, though. If space is tight, you may want to go with something that allows for maximum comfort while playing to your space needs. You could also go with swivel style seating to allow listeners to interact with those behind them. Portable seating is another option. Folding chairs, stacking chairs, stools and more are all options in a lecture hall. Each, however, tends to work best in conjunction with fixed tables. 

Other Options to Consider – Lecture halls are changing these days, and there are so many different options to consider when you think about seating. Don’t forget to factor in ideas like whether you need modesty panels, space for instructors to move about the room, and even space for laptops, coats, bags, and the like.

As you design the ideal seating to meet your needs in a lecture hall, don’t forget to include concerns like handicapped seating options to help you remain ADA compliant. Talk with your project manager about your space, your goals, and your needs to come up with the best possible solution.

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