Slate's Classroom of the Future

Slate picked the winner in its Hive contest to design the classroom of the future. Choosing from among 350 entries, it went with a sprawling mega-room with indoor and outdoor components that emphasizes "connection" and was proposed by Seattle-based architects Greg Stack and Natalie Nesmeainova.

Stack is actually a school designer by trade, so he used his vast knowledge to take a kitchen sink approach to filling the educational space. His and Nesmeainova's vision comes complete with: "adjustable furniture, a messy art area, video screens large and small, communal areas for classes to share, carefully placed mirrors that allow for eye contact when a student and teacher sit at a computer together."

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Over at Slate, Linda Perlstein discusses what elements of this room are actually practical. There are also more drawings showing how the space might actually function as a classroom.

Photo via Greg Stack and Natalie Nesmeainova for Slate.