JEDDAH — To support the growth of the Saudi Arabian education sector, Steelcase and local partner Jeraisy Group will be manufacturing at its factory in Riyadh the flagship Node chair for learning environments. It is the first time a manufacturer has been licensed to produce the Node chair in the Middle East, a move which will both strengthen industrial capability in the Kingdom and enhance opportunities for fostering Active Learning environments within the higher education sector. The Active Learning concept enables collaborative learning through greater flexibility in classroom configurations, a mode of learning that has been proven to have a greater impact on knowledge retention. Senior management from Steelcase-Jeraisy will discuss on Sept. 7 at Riyadh House and Steelcase-Jeraisy office how this strengthened partnership will benefit the Kingdom. Speakers include Mohammed Al-Saleh, General Manager of Steelcase-Jeraisy Ltd; Andy Morris, Sales Director Middle East, Steelcase; and Sean Corcorran, General Manager of Steelcase Education. Steelcase is a global company with annual sales of $2.3 billion in interior architecture, office furniture, and technology. In 2010, Steelcase created an Education Solutions Group to bring its expertise to classrooms and other educational spaces. Corcorran noted that innovation in workplace design was largely unmatched in learning environments, and he sought to change that. The Node chair has received praise for promoting student collaboration, allowing educators to reconfigure classrooms to fit different teaching styles, and enabling institutions to save money by making spaces more flexible and accommodating for varied uses. — SG
