TESTIMONIALS

Prakash Nair is, in my view, the leading international figure in the increasing important field of the design of learning environments. Prakash has been on the vanguard of creativity and design of learning environments in a challenging world. There are several important attributes that distinguish Prakash as an architect and educator. He has consistently grounded his architectural practice in clear and actionable design principles drawn from high quality research on teaching and learning.

After searching for several years for not just an architect but a school futurist with a passion for learning, we found Prakash Nair. He was a true partner with us to conceptualize, design, and build a collection of schools that are exceptional and amazing. We would give him our highest recommendation for anyone looking for creativity, innovation, and brilliance in school design and student learning.

Over four decades of work in education, I have rarely encountered a thought leader with more wisdom and expertise as Prakash Nair. I have cherished the opportunity to interact with Prakash. He is the rare combination of visionary and practitioner. It is without hesitation that I recommend Prakash Nair as an innovative education architect, keynote speaker, workshop leader, or masterclass mentor.

I had the good fortune of being introduced to Prakash Nair to explore renovating our high school library when I was the Assistant Superintendent of the Chappaqua Central School District in New York. I never imagined what that introductory telephone call with Prakash would lead to. We ultimately scrapped the library project and began on a journey of complete physical transformation of the entire school district.

For me as an educator, working with Prakash was personal professional development! Each time he kindly shared insights with me, a new door opened with so much new potential behind it. I now look at the physical structures of educational institutions in a way I never could have without learning so much from Prakash and the journey he took us on.

Over the past six years, I have been lucky enough to work closely with Prakash on projects in many parts of the world. What has always been constant is Prakash’s ability to provide each school community with architectural solutions that allow them to become more effective schools for their students. Prakash has a very collaborative approach to working with schools. Passionately encouraging and supporting school communities to reflect on what good teaching and learning looks like and how the design of their learning environments can be an integral factor in ensuring that such teaching and learning can take place. I consistently learn when working with Prakash, and I highly recommend him to schools looking to design learning spaces that can drive innovative teaching and learning practices.

I met Prakash in the fall of 2013 after interviewing a few architectural firms to work with Hillel Day School to transform our learning spaces. What first impressed me about Prakash was his deep commitment to and passion for transforming schools to better meet the needs of this century’s learners. under Prakash’s leadership, focus groups were formed from the different stakeholders to explore ideas and concepts using design patterns as a common language to insure understanding. Our master plan was fully realized over a three year period. The school has been totally re-imagined, and most importantly has greatly impacted the learning environment for the better. There is no question that Prakash Nair is a futurist, a visionary planner, architect and one of the world’s leading change agents in school design. His love for students, learning and people in general is evident in all that he does.

As a person, Prakash consistently displays intellectual curiosity, heartfelt conviction, and a dry sense of humor. The people who work with him daily display genuine loyalty and appreciation for his positive can-do attitude. They prize his collegiality, insight, and agility in challenging situations. I believe that Prakash Nair would make an exceptional contribution to any school contemplating a capital project. I give the highest recommendation for his consideration.

I can attest to Prakash Nair’s humility, integrity and wisdom and these traits have helped him rise to the very top of his profession as a designer who leverages architecture to bring forth meaningful and lasting educational transformation. His efforts in the field of educational architecture have improved learning conditions for tens of thousands of children in both public and private schools in 49 countries across six continents.