The project: IMEG completed the full site layout design for the Dedham Early Childhood Center, serving Pre-K through Kindergarten students.

The goal: The goal was to create a welcoming, engaging, and sustainable outdoor environment tailored to the developmental needs of young children, while complementing the architectural style of the school and meeting LEED certification standards.

The design: The entrance plaza features synthetic turf mounds that encourage children to forge their own paths, with radial benches reinforcing the curvilinear walkways through a grove of columnar trees. Two separate playgrounds were designed to suit different age groups – one for Pre-K students and one for Kindergarten students – with play structures selected for both functionality and aesthetic harmony with the school’s modular, peaked-roof architecture. An outdoor classroom located in the courtyard includes school gardens and opens to a play lawn suitable for soccer and other activities. Sustainable site elements include rain gardens in the parking areas, colored concrete and resilient walkways with a high solar reflectance index, and permeable asphalt pathways.

The outcome: The Dedham Early Childhood Center site provides a dynamic, nurturing, and environmentally responsible outdoor environment that supports early childhood development, active play, and outdoor learning, while enhancing the visual and ecological character of the school campus.