FRIENDS CENTER FOR CHILDREN: SUSTAINABLE EDUCATION

The Friends Center for Children is a sustainably designed early childhood facility located in Fair Haven, CT. The school provides a learning environment for children aged six months through five years. The building project was funded by a state bond and through private donorship. We are especially proud of the design features that aid in the education, well-being and delight of the children learning here everyday.

DESIGN CONCEPT

The building is situated on the property of the Quaker Meeting House and  its curriculum espouses the Friends’ principles of community, equality, peace, simplicity and truth. The design of the building and its siting seek to represent these principles in architectural terms, with direct connections to nature, use of natural materials, creation of classrooms for a mix of ages with quiet rooms for the littlest ones. Each classroom opens out to its playground, with views of the parklands beyond. A wooden ramp winds through the forest to the upper floor and to the upper classroom’s playground beyond. Large windows in key areas allow children and their teachers to enjoy the natural surroundings.

SUSTAINABILITY AND STEWARDSHIP

As design principals, Chris Widmer and Karin Patriquin worked with the Center’s director and building committee to find ways in which children could learn from the building. This easily aligned with the goals of Silver LEED equivalency. Highly insulated walls over a glulam structure encourage children to ask about the visible nuts and bolts holding parts together; similarly, exposed mechanical systems are less expensive, more efficient and encourage more questions; windows at floor level encourage learning about the outdoor environment in all weather, while reducing the need for lighting; a roof garden offers the opportunity for hands-on learning about plants; a rain barrel and water-play table there teach about the origin of water and its usage. The efficient radiant floors in the smaller children’s classrooms create a warm surface for crawling and sitting.

Other sustainable features encourage a stewardship of one’s environment: the car charging station and bicycle racks in the parking lot; high-efficiency heating and cooling; sharing of the property to minimize new paving for parking or access to the site; access to bus lines; walkability for many of the families in the area.

RESULTS

The Center is a model for high quality education for pre-school children. Our hope is that the building supports and enhances this. Testimonies from early visitors to the Center attest to this:

‘The kids are proud of this new space’ (Arie Mobley, board of directors)

‘This building right here, this is over the top’ (Michael Anderson, co-founder of the center and member of the New Haven Friends Meeting)

‘[Children] will be cherished in this atmosphere, and ready for school. There is great joy here’ (Senator Martin Looney)

You can visit the Friends Center for Children website here, or in person at:

Friends Center for Children
227 East Grand Avenue
New Haven, CT 06513
203.468.966
allyx.s@friendscenterforchildren.org

See our Friends Center for Children portfolio page, for extra images and information on the project.

See our Presentation Boards here.

Photo Credits: CB Vernlund