The Blake School Early Learning Center

The Blake School Early Learning Center was founded to encourage discovery, exploration, and curiosity among its 165 young students, pre-kindergarten through first grade. Educators wanted to use their new building as a teaching tool, so they worked with architects at HGA to create a functional yet playful facility that connects children with nature. The structure, which features exposed glulam beams and columns throughout, also forms a natural connection with Blake Forest, a state-certified teaching forest and outdoor classroom located next to campus.

The 36,000-square-foot, two-story building is organized around a multi-level commons that hosts dining, gathering, teaching, and reading activities. Set into a hillside, the commons is anchored by a broad wooden staircase paired with a slide. It is designed for maximum access and porosity, welcoming visitors from entrances at the north and west and extending into courtyards at the east and south. A lofted library hovers above the dining area, while a canary yellow stair delivers first graders directly outside. Overhead, a set of three figural light monitors, each with its own shape and orientation, provide different qualities of sunlight throughout the day.

To meet both sustainability and budget goals, architects chose a hybrid configuration for the Type V-B structure, combining mass timber beams and columns with a concrete slab over steel composite decking. The clean, engaging design relies on simple forms and blocks of color, placing a heavy emphasis on natural materials and daylighting; even windows are placed at child height.