• The Enriched Environment Model™ was unveiled for the first time at the 2025 Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture Conference held last week in California
  • The Model will form part of the firms’ upcoming book, Beyond the Box: How neuroscience-based design can transform the learning environment

Dubai, UAE: Kidzink, an award-winning multidisciplinary design firm dedicated to making schools better, along with sister company Koda, the Kidzink Office of Design and Architecture, have unveiled a have unveiled a world-first educational design system, created with insights garnered from UAE and GCC region schools and a deep research in neuroarchitecture.

The Enriched Environment Model™ is a framework rooted in decades of scientific literature in neuroscience, psychology, and architecture and developed to give educators, educational architects and interior designers a clear, step-by-step framework for designing educational spaces that are not only creative, but also deeply aligned with how students learn and thrive.

UAE-headquartered firms, Kidzink and Koda, introduced the Model to the global design community at the prestigious Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture (ANFA) Conference held earlier this month in California. It marks the first time school designers and educators worldwide will have access to a systemic design framework grounded in education pedagogy, neuroarchitecture, and environmental psychology research.

Part of the research underpinning the Model was drawn from Kidzink and Koda’s experience designing more than 750 schools globally - including a significant number across the UAE and wider GCC - ensuring that regional insights inform the future of school design worldwide. The odel will also be published in the firms’ forthcoming book, Beyond the Box: How neuroscience-based design can transform the learning environment™.

“In most countries, school design has remained virtually unchanged for decades - children still learn in schools that closely resemble those of their grandparents,” said Paolo Borghesi, Co-Founder of Kidzink. “In developing this Model, we sought to truly understand the impact of space on learning and undertook the most comprehensive scientific study ever conducted on educational neuro-architecture. This was not a stylistic or design-led exercise, but a rigorous investigation involving a 40-year literature review covering research on well-being, cognitive development, and educational environments. We also integrated it with Kidzink’s firsthand experience from designing, building and furnishing 750 schools  and school environments worldwide.”

Ana Mombiedro, Kidzink’s neuro-architect in residence and one of the world’s leading experts in neuro-architecture, said: “This is an extremely unique moment in the world of architectural design. For the very first time, designers, architects, interior designers and educators - anyone who has the opportunity to impact the learning space - will have a framework to base school architecture on Neuroarchitecture and Environmental Psychology research.  This Model offers a transformative perspective on what space can do for education.”

Moving Beyond Aesthetics

In line with Kidzink’s long-standing innovative approach to school architecture and design, the Enriched Environment Model™ addresses a common gap in school design, where aesthetic choices are not always connected to measurable educational outcomes. By integrating findings from neuroscience, pedagogy, and environmental psychology, the firm says that the Model provides a clear, evidence-based framework for aligning design decisions with learning objectives.

“It is structured to be highly adaptable, serving as a practical checklist for incremental improvements or as a comprehensive guide for early-stage planning of new schools. In both cases, the Model ensures that spaces are designed with a clear link to student well-being and educational outcomes,” added Mombiedro.

Borghesi concluded: “Our aim was to build a solid, evidence-based foundation for rethinking how learning spaces should be designed -not based on trends, but on science. The full research and framework will be detailed in our upcoming book, Beyond the Box: How neuroscience-based design can transform the learning environment™.”

Launched in 2017 in Dubai, Kidzink has expanded to include offices in KSA, Spain and now Singapore with more global expansion on the horizon. Through its group of companies, including Koda, its dedicated architectural practice and Kidzink, its furniture and interior design practice, the company offers complete educational design, strategy and consulting services and solutions including bespoke furniture manufacture, all under one roof. Centering the needs and dreams of learners, the company designs, constructs, and furnishes dynamic, adaptable, sustainable, and beautiful learning environments and communities around the world.

Kidzink’s and its group of companies’ culture is built around a shared mission to ‘make schools better,’ but it’s the firm’s unique approach to creativity and collaboration that sets it apart. With no traditional structures or policies, Kidzink fosters an environment that values trust, autonomy, and continuous learning. The company’s commitment to design excellence, meaningful work, and high-performing teams has not just attracted but fostered award-winning professionals from a wide range of disciplines, including Architecture, Education, Project Management, Industrial Design, Landscape Architecture, as well as Acoustics, Athletics, Strategy and Engineering.

For more information on Kidzink, visit https://www.kidzinkdesign.com/
For more information on KODA, visit https://www.designbykoda.com/

For more information, please contact:
Dawn Barnable
The B Collective for Kidzink
Dawnb@thebcollectiveme.com