Community & Non-Profit

Northside Center for Child Development

East Harlem location

Project Details

Construction Type:

Full buildout within new building

Area:

29,460 SF

Year:

2020

Team

Polise Consult. Eng. MEP Engineer

Curtis + Ginsberg Architects Arch. of Record

Northside Center for Child Development partnered with us to design a community facility to house their operations now located within a new housing development project. Children are the organization’s primary focus, and the new center became their multi-use facility for education, recreation, and wellness. The goal was to create a functional, attractive, and inspiring contemporary facility to serve the neighborhood’s diverse community. We were inspired by the children receiving these services in what was a dated existing facility and set out to design a new center for them.

A palette of complimentary playful colors and textures was selected and used throughout the facility, highlighting important areas and helping occupants navigate the center. Affordable and durable materials were used, with special attention to areas of passage and high social interaction such as the entrance lobby, classroom corridors, and the area leading to the outdoor play terrace. Our goal was to nurture the children’s energy while providing teachers, therapists and other staff a well-designed facility that strongly supported Northside’s programs and educational goals.

We carefully managed costs by selecting well valued durable fixtures and finishes. In an effort to maximize natural light, we increased the height of classrooms and other larger spaces and installed suspended acoustic panels in other areas to highlight key transition points within the various program areas. The stair was designed to encourage its use and is an important part of the project’s wellness integration.

The design team was responsible for the selection and integration of all furniture components, from waiting areas within lobbies, to workspaces and educational spaces where scale appropriate products were provided for children as young as three years old. Interior spaces were designed to reflect the high-quality education and services being offered to the East Harlem community. Parents and visitors can interact with therapists and educators within professional and elegant spaces that elevate the center’s public perception and psychological self-respect.