Guiding Coalition · Private briefing site · pearl.education/coalition

Help Form The Pearl

The implementation plan for The Pearl — the physical space that represents the concepts of Human Formation in an Age of AI — the AI Innovation Studio at Saint Joseph's University — is taking shape now, across seven workstreams, toward a January opening. Each member of the Guiding Coalition knows things no document can capture: what your people will embrace, where the seams are, what deserves caution. This site is where that knowledge joins the plan.

The work

An empty room in September. A working studio by January. The Pearl.

The room and the plan take shape in the same window. Your input feeds the plan; the plan shapes the room.

The room as it stands, empty
September · As it standsPhotographed August 2026
The finished studio, rendered
January · CompleteDesign rendering

September

Definition

The space is secured; the plan is in draft — and open for comment.

Late September

First review

The plan settles — with the Coalition's counsel in it.

October – November

Design and build

Design freezes at the end of October; construction and fit-out follow.

January

Open

The studio opens on a published schedule.

Inspiration

Twelve room concepts

The Pearl / Modular Learning Studio Concept Study

Historic warmth + modular rolling furniture + desk-based computing — designed for active learning, not boardroom behavior. Each concept is written around a room persona: the person the room is for, and the functional kit that serves them.

Interior view of a modular learning studio with wood paneling, rolling desks, and laptops

Concept 01

The Laptop Commons

Room persona

The Mobile Collaborator

A collaborator who needs a real working environment, not a ceremonial meeting room. Compact rolling desks, laptop-ready surfaces, and soft social edges support individual focus and rapid regrouping.

Functional kit: Six modular rolling desks, mobile pinboards, rolling drawers, four visible laptops.

Interior of a learning studio with wood paneling, modular furniture, and rolling partitions

Concept 02

The Rolling Workshop

Room persona

The Project Starter

A project starter who moves quickly from a prompt to a prototype. Trapezoid tables, rolling carts, open laptops, and mobile dividers make the room visibly ready for co-creation.

Functional kit: Wheeled modular tables, supply trolleys, mobile boards, five visible laptops.

Interior view of a wood-paneled room with modular desks and plants

Concept 03

The Coding Garden

Room persona

The Digital Gardener

A maker who combines digital craft with a restorative atmosphere. Flexible computer stations sit among plants, a window bench, and relaxed seating so technology feels practical but not dominant.

Functional kit: Five rolling desks, modular cabinets, four laptops, one adjustable monitor.

Interior of a historic room with wood paneling, furnished with modern rolling desks, chairs, and a mobile pinboard

Concept 04

The Learning Porch

Room persona

The Flexible Learner

A learner who alternates between quiet independent work and spontaneous exchange. Rolling laptop tables sit beside a deep window bench and informal lounge, allowing every session to take a different shape.

Functional kit: Four rolling desks, wheeled drawers and shelving, four laptops, mobile pinboard.

Interior of a wood-paneled room with rolling workbenches and computer equipment

Concept 05

The Digital Craft Room

Room persona

The Maker-Technologist

A maker-technologist who moves between sketching, materials, and screens. Modular workbenches and rolling storage place computer work alongside tactile experimentation in one hospitable room.

Functional kit: Two rolling workbenches, rolling drawer towers, three laptops, two compact monitors.

Interior of a design sprint studio with modular furniture and wood paneling

Concept 06

The Design Sprint Studio

Room persona

The Agile Problem-Solver

A problem-solver who needs the physical environment to keep pace with the work. Foldable wheeled worktops, computers, and mobile visual surfaces enable quick shifts from pairs to a full team.

Functional kit: Folding rolling desk modules, portable display, felt boards, five laptops.

Interior of a research porch with wooden paneling, modular desks, and a sofa

Concept 07

The Research Porch

Room persona

The Grounded Researcher

A researcher who benefits from a warm place to work over time. Computer desks on casters line the light, while a sofa and bay-window perch offer the restorative counterpoint to desk work.

Functional kit: Four modular rolling desks, rolling bookcase and drawers, four laptops, monitor stand.

Interior view of a hybrid seminar studio with wood-paneled walls, modular tables, and laptops

Concept 08

The Hybrid Seminar Studio

Room persona

The Networked Teacher

A teacher who blends in-room making with lightweight hybrid connection. Rounded wheeled tables allow a group to stay conversational, while laptop-based work remains concrete and accessible.

Functional kit: Three rolling modular tables, laptop cart, mobile shelving, five laptops.

A community data studio with wooden walls, rolling desks, and laptops

Concept 09

The Community Data Studio

Room persona

The Evidence Builder

An evidence builder who wants data to remain a shared community resource. Paired laptop tables, mobile boards, and soft seating make analysis approachable, visual, and participatory.

Functional kit: Four wheeled desks in pairs, rolling storage and boards, four laptops.

A classroom with wood-paneled walls, rolling desk modules, mobile screens, and a supply cart

Concept 10

The Moving Classroom

Room persona

The Adaptive Instructor

An instructor who treats layout as part of the lesson. Separate desk modules can become a common island, a series of pairs, or a clear floor for discussion—without losing the comforts of a living room.

Functional kit: Six rolling desk modules, supply cart, mobile screens, four laptops and one monitor.

A historic room with wood-paneled walls, stained glass windows, and a window seat, furnished with modern modular rolling desks, chairs, and bookcases

Concept 11

The Portable Learning Library

Room persona

The Self-Directed Explorer

An explorer who wants research tools and materials within easy reach. Laptop desks, mobile bookcases, and a soft window-seat retreat bring the library and the studio together in one flexible setting.

Functional kit: Four rolling computer desks, wheeled bookcases and drawers, four laptops.

Interior of a community project room with wood paneling and modular furniture

Concept 12

The Community Project Room

Room persona

The Civic Maker

A civic maker who gathers people around tangible work. Desk-based computing, small mobile work clusters, and a warm social zone make the room credible for project work without becoming corporate.

Functional kit: Five rolling desks, modular drawers and supply cart, four laptops, portable display.

Midjourney studies

Generated room studies

Grid of eight wood-panelled seminar and studio room studies

Midjourney 1

Warm wood-panelled maker space with desks, monitors and rolling whiteboards

Midjourney 2

Wood-panelled studio with light timber desks, whiteboard dividers and bookcases

Midjourney 3

Panelled room with computer benches and mobile worktables with orange chairs

Midjourney 4

Panelled studio with computer stations, lounge seating and an orange rug

Midjourney 5

Seedream 5.0 Pro studies

Generated room studies

Wood-panelled maker studio with stained glass, benches of monitors, worktables and a schedule display

Seedream 5.0 Pro 1

Panelled studio with a long white worktable, task chairs, perimeter computer benches and a maker space schedule screen

Seedream 5.0 Pro 2

Panelled room with cloverleaf mobile tables, stools, window-side prototyping benches and a room schedule screen

Seedream 5.0 Pro 3

Marble-floored panelled studio with a central worktable, whiteboard, large display and storage carts

Seedream 5.0 Pro 4

Nano Banana Pro studies

Generated room studies

Panelled maker studio with a long light-timber bench of monitors, 3D printers and schedule displays

Nano Banana Pro 1

Students working at standing white worktables with 3D printers under pendant lights and a weekly schedule screen

Nano Banana Pro 2

Panelled computer lab with paired monitor desks, lounge chairs, bookcases and maker space schedule screens

Nano Banana Pro 3

Warm panelled studio with rows of white worktables, prototyping benches, pegboard and a maker space schedule board

Nano Banana Pro 4