seating for schools Archives - Carroll Seating Company

Published: 24 September 2013

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Categories: Lecture and Theater Seating

Lecture halls across campus are a reflection of the college or university’s image, so they have to look great. The last thing you want is a group of potential freshmen to peek inside a lecture hall with a poor seating structure and frustratingly outdated learning environment. The key to a good lecture hall is careful planning.

Theatre Style Concerns

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If your lecture halls have the classic theatre style, you want performance space for your professors or lecturers along with comfortable audience seating. Along with that, you probably want a sophisticated look and good acoustical performance. Your best bet in those situations is to go with comfortable seating, probably plush or cushioned, along with acoustical seat pans. You may also want to add aisle lights for safety.

If, instead, you have a combined use space on your hands, you want both performances and instructional lectures to work in the area. Naturally, optimal seating capacity is going to be a key concern, but so are the sightlines for audience members. In cases like these, you probably don’t want tables, but oversized table arms, as that will not only accommodate those taking notes, but also those using laptops too. Power access will be critical in a facility like this, and you may want to go with multiple space seating options for best results.

Make It ADA Compliant

As you plan out your space, it’s essential to keep ADA requirements in mind. At least five percent of your seating area has to meet ADA guidelines. These rules also state that no less than one seating unit must meet those guidelines. Within those compliant seating areas, you need a clear space of 30” x 48” for wheelchair access. You also need knee clearance of 27” high, 30” in width, and 19” in depth. The height of the work surface (if you have one) needs to be 28” to 34”. Additionally, no less than one unit or one percent of your seating area has to be armless or have removable arms on the aisle side. Fortunately, these guidelines are pretty easily addressed, as many seating choices on the market today have either swing arms or removable units.

Published: 27 August 2013

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Categories: School seating

Elementary school classrooms have to be warm, safe environments. While the teacher can do quite a bit to make that possible with the right wall decorations and layout, the actual seating choices have just as much to do with it. Here are a few things to consider as you purchase new elementary school seating.

Seat Height: Not every seat is going to work well for all students. Chairs that are too little can be very distracting to kids. Those that are too big can be tough for little ones to get in and out of. Getting the perfect height is essential for a solid learning experience. Students ages five and under need seven to twelve inch seats. Those in lower elementary need twelve to fifteen inch seats. Generally those in upper elementary need something in the fifteen to seventeen inch range.
Seat Material: Most elementary seating choices are available in softer plastic, harder plastic, or wood. The softer plastic choices are easy for younger kids to move, and they’re fairly inexpensive as well. The problem, though, is that they’re not very durable. Harder plastic choices are more durable, but they’re a little more expensive. Wood looks best in the classroom setting, and they’re very durable, but they can be very costly.
Seat Style: You have to carefully think about what students might be doing in the classroom before you choose the right seating style. In some cases, you may want seating on wheels. Computer labs and science labs are most often where you see wheeled seating. Special education rooms may also benefit from some wheeled seating options. Gliders are another good choice. They work well on carpet, but plastic ones also work well on harder floors. Sled bases are also a good choice. They can move well on carpets, too.
Maneuverability: How often do the chairs you’re considering need to move? If you need more flexibility out of your seating choice, you may want to consider stackable chair options. You can choose from one or two piece options, and it often means that you can store the chairs out of the way when you simply want to do more with the area.

Elementary school seating is tough to pin down, but there are lots of different ways to create the perfect environment to meet the needs of your students. Find the perfect consultant to help make your needs a reality today.

Published: 15 February 2013

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Categories: Seating Solutions

Look Modern
Whether you manage a cafeteria, help run a school, or even run a business with many employees, “keeping up with the Jones” is a very big deal. While completely renovating a building to make the architecture modern would most likely be far too uneconomical to pursue, there is indeed a different way for you to make your facility shine to both visitors and those who attend it or work at it: a change in seating and furniture.

This is certainly a way to keep with the times without breaking the bank, and the furniture inherently can make a bold statement about the type of atmosphere you wish for your building to have.

Get a Cozy Feel
The last thing most visitors to a new building want is to be forced to sit in old, hard chairs. This feels far more institutionalized than any recreational furniture should be. Fortunately, we have a solution for you!

Don’t keep your old furniture and allow your patrons to suffer! Rather, have one of our consultants come take a look. We can recommend any of a variety of our professional and endorsed seating to make your atmosphere be as appealing and accommodating as possible.

Save Money
Seating arrangements in many buildings are not nearly as economical as they could be. If you find that you are often running out of seating for your clientele, chances are you feel that you’re in a crunch. While you need for your customers to sit comfortably, you most likely would not like to take out a loan to completely remodel.

Luckily, we can also make custom seating arrangements for you. These can be very ergonomically sound chairs that are arranged in a more compacted fashion, but feel far more comfortable to your patrons than your old seating.

In this fashion, you save money while making your patrons feel far more comfortable. Rather than needing to remodel, you can simply buy new furniture that spruces up the atmosphere, makes it more physically comfortable, and saves you money! In the end, the situation is a win-win, no matter what your perspective is!