The ASU Preparatory Academy powered by The Levitt Lab is a hybrid high school designed to put learning directly in the hands of students. Its mastery-based education model empowers students to develop and explore their ideas through hands-on experiences and meaningful leadership opportunities. This innovative approach to learning calls for spaces — and furniture — that support choice, movement, and autonomy, allowing students to engage with their work in ways that best suit how they learn.
In response to client feedback, Atmosphere developed design concepts for each required space, thoughtfully aligning furniture solutions to the academy’s mastery-based framework. Flexible, adaptable pieces were selected to encourage independent focus, small-group collaboration, and instructor-guided learning, often within the same environment. Durable, long-lasting materials were intentionally chosen to support daily reconfiguration, experimentation, and long-term use; reinforcing a culture where learning is iterative, resilient, and built to evolve over time.
Refining the final solution on an accelerated timeline (just ten weeks from design approval to installation) the result is a thoughtfully designed high school featuring an active learning classroom, independent study areas, collaboration zones, and a conference space that pays tribute to the site’s history as the former Tempe Normal School and Tempe State Teacher’s College.
Together, the space and its furnishings create an environment that not only supports how students learn today, but is built to adapt and endure as their ideas, skills, and leadership continue to grow.
