Wall-E: Reconfigurable Walls at Stanford d.school Make Each Class the Perfect Size, by Linda Tischler, 4/28/2010, on the Fast Company website

http://www.fastcompany.com/1631889/wall-e-reconfigurable-walls-at-stanford-dschool-make-each-class-the-perfect-size

Fast Company article on the moveable walls of the new d.school building at Stanford. The innovative idea here is that the instructor can literally change the layout of the classroom making a “perfect fit” for each class.

“The school’s second floor is, essentially, one large room, framed by a truss system that lets planners design a series of sliders, attached with a gizmo they call a “taco” to a beam-mounted C-channel. That allows teams to create instant studios, of the exact dimensions appropriate to the day’s activities. Need a cozy nook? Done! A wide-open expanse of space? Not a problem.”

“The system allows a modal shift between intimate and open,” says Scott Witthoft, co-director with Scott Doorley of the school’s Environments Collaborative, which designed the arrangement along with Dave Shipmen of Steelcase.”