When it comes to lecture theatres, your seating is essential for the productivity and efficiency of a lecture. As an educational environment, you want to be sure that everything is set up to ensure you have the space and resources both lecturers and students need. Universities rely on lecture halls for a vast amount of learning every day. Where students sit and the environment they are expected to work in plays a vital role in how well they are able to perform. For that reason, the quality of your seating is extremely important.
Whether you should refurbish on replace your seating depends on your reasons for needing new seating. As well as the quality of your current seating. We have put together a guide to help you decide which option is best for you. Keep reading for our top tips on deciding if you need to refurbish or replace your lecture chairs.
When to Refurbish Lecture Seating
If your lecture seating is set out in a way that works well for your needs, and the only issue is something that can be fixed without replacing the entire seating system, refurbishment could be your best option. If you have modern seating and you are happy with the design and style. Refurbishment is a more suitable and lower cost option for revamping your lecture theatre
Ruined Upholstery
Over time the upholstery on your lecture chairs can become worn and ripped, creating uncomfortable and unappealing seating. Luckily, chairs can be reupholstered allowing you to revamp your seating without having it completely replaced. Depending on the quality and age of your current seating. It is possible to keep the original foam and have these reupholstered with new fabric.
Lack of Foam
After time foam in lecture chairs can become worn and old, often making it sag and dip which is uncomfortable to sit on. As long as the structure on your seating is still intact, you can have your foam replaced and seating reupholstered to give your current seating the comfort your students need to stay concentrated.
When to Replace Lecture Seating
There are many reasons you might decide to replace your current lecture theatre seating, these being occasions where refurbishment won’t suit.
If you are thinking of replacing your lecture chairs, take a look at our extensive Guide to Lecture Theatre Design and how it can enhance student learning for generations. .
Damage Beyond Repair
Most Universities have been around for a long time. Which can mean that your lecture theatre seating is outdated and damaged. Due to being used constantly, lecture seating can become uncomfortable from damaged upholstery and foam. It is important that students feel comfortable in a lecture to increase productivity. With uncomfortable seating often leading to lower motivation.
Maximise The Space
Lecture theatres come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and the style and layout of your seating can make a big difference. New seating can be used to maximise space. Enabling more students to be able to attend your teaching sessions without feeling like they are too cramped. Traditional lecture seating is usually fitted with a tiered or raked design. to help optimise the space and allow all students to get a clear view of the lecturer.
Here is an example of a raked seating section we built at Chetham School of Music for their Stoller Hall.
Building Raked Seating at Chetham School of Music’s Stoller Hall
Productivity
How a lecture room is used is important to the types of lecture seats you have in your theatre. For example, if you are having a lecture where group work may be required. It would be beneficial to having seating where students can turn to collaborate with each other. If you find that the style of lecture chairs and their capabilities are no longer suited to your lecture room, you should consider replacing them.
Whether you opt for refurbishment or replacement, contact a member of our team for information on how we can help. We have aided in replacing and refurbishing lecture theatre seating across the country, with a vast amount of experience that you can trust.
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