Drawing on data from 23 secondary schools across Australia and New Zealand, this study tests a claim long made by educationalists and architects but rarely evidenced: that open and flexible “innovative” learning spaces support deeper student learning and stronger engagement than traditional cellular classrooms. Murphy, Imms and Mahat find that students in innovative spaces show significantly higher adoption of deep learning approaches, characterised by curiosity, critical interaction and the desire to understand rather than memorise. Teachers working in those spaces also report greater use of the dispositions Hattie identifies as having the largest positive impact on learning, particularly dialogue, differentiation and collaboration, all classroom conditions strongly associated with student engagement.