Back-to-school season used to be about fresh notebooks and sharpened pencils, but modern school design is reshuffling the curriculum. These days, the school building itself feels like an advanced physics problem. Between navigating green rooftops instead of schoolyards, and bike racks that resemble a modern art installation, we’re just a city ordinance away from having our kids attend classes in an M.C. Escher painting. Parents, fasten your seatbelts. It’s not just the homework that’s going to need decoding – the school building itself has become the first puzzling and dazzling assignment

STRUCTURAL INTELLIGENCE: MARYLAND’S POLICY POWERHOUSE

Behold, the new University of Maryland’s School of Public Policy building named Thurgood Marshall Hall. The Leo A. Daly designed Taj Mahal of contemporary academia is a place where the aesthetically pleasing meets the intellectually challenging, and where students might often wonder, Is this a school or a modern art exhibit?
 
It’s where green meets genius, where students study the world and learn how to save it. The punchline of this joke? There’s no joke here, just a groundbreaking edifice that’s dead serious about a brighter, smarter, and more sustainable future. Go for education; stay for innovation.

WHEN DESIGN MASTERS THE CLASS

Architects and designers often argue that all design has a price tag, so why not splash out on Architectural Digest instead of Good Housekeeping? We’ve all gasped in horror, uttering, “Who designed THAT monstrosity?” when driving past a particularly grotesque building. A hearty body of research suggests that when we’re living and working in well-designed spaces, we’re happier and more productive and look 10% more attractive in selfies (ok, maybe not that last part).

Therefore, it’s no shocker that architects worldwide are effectively building their classrooms, weaving this philosophy into the very foundations of their schools. Feast your eyes on this insightful article, presenting ten instances of architects becoming the headmasters of their own concrete and glass Hogwarts.

WOULD FERRIS BUELLER HAVE SKIPPED SCHOOL?

Imagine a world where students dread holidays more than exams, where school is cooler than the mall. Welcome to the realm of these 30 high schools, each crafted with such architectural dazzle that they make Monday mornings feel like front-row tickets at The Eras Tour (ask your kids). In the immortal words of Ferris Bueller, “What aren’t we going to do?” Indeed, with schools like these, who needs a day off?

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA

The University of Cape Town is often ranked as one of the most beautiful university campuses in the world.  Your kids may be returning to school this Fall, so you may be able (or need) to take a vacation!  What Matters is re-introducing its travel advice section, and we are enchanted by Cape Town.  Cape Town is like Sydney and Rio de Janeiro in its beauty, from Table Mountain to the sandy Atlantic beaches to nearby wine country.
 
Hotels
The Silo Hotel
Ellerman House
Camissa House
Hippo Hotel
 
Restaurants
Salsify
Table 7 
Carne
The Test Kitchen
Upper Bloem
La Colombe
Fyn
Tahli
Pot Luck Club
Belly of the Beast
Cabrito bar
El Burro
Aubergine
Hemelhuijs
Food Barn
The Butcher Shop
Kloof Street House
Haas Coffee Gallery
The Power and The Glory (Bar)
Publik (Bar)
 
Galleries/Shopping
Stevenson Gallery
AKJP Studio
Chandler House
Mungo
Sans
Tribal Trends
Olive
The Watershed
Southern Guild Gallery
Chandler House
Merchants on Long
Kirsten Goss
Missibaba