Building Committee CDC

This page is a collection of information that we will be using in conjunction with the building committee. It might be useful to take a look at the types of things that go on at the CDC to get a better idea how the building will work best to fit their needs.

Pinterest

We’re using Pinterest to capture ideas as we see them around the internet and in real life. It’s easy for us to add other people to the Pinterest board, so if you would like to share your ideas, just drop us a line.

Lot Images

The lot images below include the following:

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1. Original lot
2. Original lot with 10 yard grids
3. Lot with Concordia’s football field superimposed to give a sense of scale
4. Lot with idea for paving that attempts to preserve the current number of spaces available for parking. This can be done without negatively impacting the space requirements for the CDC.
5. Pavement idea with grid
6. Current CDC building superimposed over the outline (in mauve) of a 10,000 sq. ft. building (this is larger than the needs of the new CDC building).
7. As above with grid

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Click on any image to see a larger version.

Initial Design Thoughts

Ideal Room Sizes:

Classroom  1 (toddler): 600 sq. ft.
Classroom  2 (new toddler): 600 sq. ft.
Classroom  3 (preschool): 1000 sq. ft.
Classroom  4 (preschool): 1000 sq. ft.
Classroom  5 (new preschool): 1000 sq. ft.
Classroom  6 (school age): 1000 sq. ft.

Classrooms 1-5 would include restroom facilities within these dimensions. It is desirable for the toddler classrooms to open onto the toddler playground and for the remaining classrooms to open onto the main playground. It is also desirable for the remaining classrooms to include a space (such as a porch) that could be used as an outdoor space in rainy weather. An alternative might be a single structure (perhaps free standing). This space is not included in the sq. ft. requirements of the classrooms. At least some of the preschool classrooms should have access to their restroom from outside.

Kitchen: 300 sq. ft.
Office: 240 sq. ft.
Reception: 100 sq. ft.
Stairs: 100 sq. ft.
School age restrooms:  ??? sq. ft.
Janitorial: ??? sq. ft.

Kitchen, reception, stairs & hallways should be open, inviting spaces. Hallways should be wide with windows to classrooms/outside as placement permits, perhaps including clerestory windows if the hallway runs east to west.

Mechanical should be located in the basement. Basement may be a half basement if funds will not permit a full basement. Basement should include a staff restroom, staff workroom (400 sq. ft.), storage (1000 sq. ft.) and room for the children during a tornado warning.

Program Development

Initial work on Program Development can be found here.

Layout Brainstorming

Note that because we were playing with room “pieces”, there are some areas where we couldn’t actually express what we were thinking quite correctly. In nearly all layouts below, toddler classrooms are in brown, other classrooms are in red, hallways are pink, and yellow and orange represent other spaces (notably, the office and kitchen which usually appear in that order at the entrance to the building).

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1. U shaped building with large motor skill play space in the center. We do not think that this shape will fit the lot very well.
2. Comparison of L and Square shaped layouts together
3. Basic Square layout relaxing the requirement that all classrooms have direct access to the outdoor play area. Although this is not ideal, it does offer some other advantages, such as southern exposure for the classroom that doesn’t face the play area and the possibility of including stairs to the basement for future expansion of the school age program (we do not anticipate a basement under the northern classrooms).
4. Trapezoid layout attempts to maximize the number of classrooms adjacent to the playground while minimizing total square footage and exterior walls.
5. L shape (west) with large motor play area attached.
6. L Shape (east). This shape allows for views of the playground and the street, but does not allow direct playground access (or restroom access from the outside).
7. L Shape (west). Just picturing what it would look like flipped.

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Click on any image to see a larger version.

Field Trip(s)

We took a Field Trip to Faith Lutheran and UNL Children’s Center. These are photos from that trip. (Sorry for the blurry photos, but you can click on them for a larger view.)

Your Thoughts?

Feel free to use the comment section below to add your thoughts or you can contact us directly. If you’re not on the building committee and you found this link, you can also share your thoughts with any member of the building committee.