Specifying a magnetic writeable wall for a classroom or open-plan office
A whole-wall magnetic and dry-erase surface is a different specification from a hung board. Here is what belongs on the drawing.
Turning a wall into a magnetic, writeable surface is a construction decision, not a furniture one, and it belongs on the drawings before the wall is built rather than added afterwards. A few things decide whether it succeeds.
The substrate comes first. A magnetic-receptive system needs a flat, sound, dry backing wall, because a continuous steel sheet only reads flat if the wall behind it is flat. Any hollow or proud joint under the sheet becomes a visible low or high spot and a place where magnets grip unevenly. On a new build that means specifying a flush, well-jointed board wall; on a refurbishment it often means skimming the existing wall level first.
Height and reach come next. In a classroom the writeable zone has to suit the users, so the working band is set for the age group rather than for an adult standing at full height, and younger rooms get a lower band. In an open-plan office the same wall doubles as pinboard and whiteboard, so the specification should state both functions and confirm the surface supports each: a porcelain-enamel-on-steel wall writes and holds magnets, while a plain writeable coating without a steel layer will not take a magnet at all.
Glare and lighting are the detail most often missed. A glossy writeable wall opposite a window becomes unreadable in raking light. Where daylight or ceiling fittings hit the wall directly, a lower-sheen surface or a repositioned wall solves a problem that no amount of ink quality can.
Finally, edges and services. The specification should say how the sheet meets adjacent walls, doors, and sockets, because the steel layer cannot simply be cut around a socket on site without exposing a raw edge. A common resolution is to hold the writeable surface back from switches and sockets and frame its perimeter with trim, so every cut edge is covered and the junctions look deliberate rather than improvised. Draw those junctions before the wall is built and most of the disappointment designed out of the finished room disappears with them.