First National Child Development Center

Narratives

Architect Narrative

The term “Collaboration” definitively defines the process through which the architects derived their solution for the facility. This “Collaboration” was a common thread throughout the entire building team, from client to architect, architect to contractor, and contractor to client.

Site selection was the first piece of the collective puzzle to unfold. The client and architect determined which piece of property within the campus would best reflect their goals of turning their property into an attractive, active use. We selected the northernmost part of the campus bound by the interstate off-ramp. The project would nestle itself within the off-ramp, taking a typical discarded site condition and turning it into something lively and desirable.

The building takes its cues directly from the functional program and the site context. The architects began the process by investigating the site and how the building might respond to its surroundings.

The solution was to blur the boundaries between outside and in, offering views of the surroundings from within the space. Large, platonic glass boxes protrude from the building’s exterior wall. This allows the children to be connected to the outside on days of inclement weather.

The Child Development Facility opens itself to the interstate off-ramp, allowing for a secured exterior playground. By cranking the floor plan, the roof structure tilts and tapers, creating an abundance of clerestory windows.

The irregular floor plan also for the hallways to open up and become tapered streets, doubling their use as common area play spaces. Another metaphor the interior architecture picks up is that of kinetic energy. The interior core spaces act as streetscapes for the children to creatively use for interactive play. As one travels from outside to inside the structure, the rigid grid of the exterior gives way to the broken geometry of the interior.

Collaboration also occurred between the architect and contractor. The time line for the project was rather aggressive, allowing for a design assist approach to occur. The contractor was pre-selected during the design phase of the project. This allowed the contractor to work with the architects to keep the cost and schedule within the owner’s specified range.

Educator Narrative

Our Child Development Center espouses a child-centered philosophy of teaching and learning. It is based on the premise that each child is an individual with a unique pattern of development capabilities, temperamental characteristic and learning styles. Our roots and commitment to a child centered philosophy lie in our respect for the “specialness” of young children and our collective delight in the unfolding wonders of their growth and development. Small group sizes intensive teacher child ratios and highly qualified and trained faculty provides assurance that each child receives individual attention and a sense of belonging. The facility has over 100 square feet per child of interior space-exceeding national and state licensing standards. Spacious muscle play areas with interior slide and riding toys, also used for parent events, or large meetings are attractive to children, parents, and faculty. Lare “window box” seats bring the outdoors indoors. Platform loft areas for dramatic play, science exploration, and storybook time. Outdoor playgrounds designed for each age group with multiple zones, safety surfaces, interesting trike paths, climbers and sand/ water play features. Interior water room that is interactive and available all year round.