Downtown Daycare
Downtown Daycare is a design for an educational facility in Houston, Texas. The central location and considerations of sustainability and technology provide a healthy and fun learning environment.
The theme of the EP Exhibit 2016 is It Takes a Community. Selected projects showcase the best work from young designers highlighting community impact and engagement.
Bringing children to the middle of the city also brings families and life to its center. It helps to collapse the barriers of work, home, and school and to dissolve and delight the rigidity of an urban business district. This client wanted to create a home-like, caring atmosphere for its students. They hoped for a space rich with natural materials and textures that promoted creativity, allowed for exploration and flexibility, but also reflected their commitment to building a healthy, sustainable environment for young people.
From a design standpoint the L-shaped courtyard building shelters the play and learning environment on a busy urban corner. The classroom layout and color allows for easy way-finding and access to natural daylight and internal and external views. The building systems explored new technology for Houston introducing chilled beams for cooling and radiant floors for warmth, relying on the lessons of gravity and convection to create an efficient and optimum thermal environment.
