Although child care facilities are one of the most tightly regulated building types in the State of California, the design for the Child Care Center in Culver City is anything but institutional.
Crowned with an undulating metal roof, the 9,000 square foot center features a diversity of spaces that incorporate various materials, textures and spatial qualities.
Designed to accommodate approximately 100 children, the facility is defined by a central circulation spine perpendicular to the entrance axis that separates school-wide service from an enfilade of glass-enclosed classrooms.
The exterior masonry of repetitive woven brick patterns on the entrance facade is continued in the interiors of the service spaces and complimented on the play-yard side by large sliding doors of wood and glass.
The design integrated a number of recycled materials that provide a variety of stimulating tactile surfaces, and an emphasis on natural light and natural ventilation allow the building to be cooled by cross ventilation 95 percent of the time. Back-up air conditioning is required only on the smoggiest of days.