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.

Photos provided by Emily O’Brien.