A college reading laboratory was designed and furnished to maximize flexibility in space use. To determine the effectiveness of the design and use of space, a two-part study was conducted that examined students' learning preferences and collected instructors' observations. Responses indicated student preferences for sound, light, warmth, and formal room design. The emotionality subscale showed students to be motivated, persistent, and responsible. However, over half revealed a strong need for guidance and structure in completing tasks. Sociologically, students reported preferences for learning alone, learning with peers, learning under direct supervision, and learning in different sociological settings. In the physical needs variable cluster, the population revealed that it had predominantly multimodal preferences for visual, kinesthetic, and tactile learning. Instructor observations led to three conclusions about the lab design and use of space: the reduction of square footage caused students' productivity to increase dramatically; space differentiation and mobility facilitated increased productivity; and the small space did not allow for private conferences, materials development, and intensified instruction for deficient readers. (HOD)