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Charles F. Murphy Early Childhood Development Center
Charles F. Murphy Early Childhood Development Center
Brooklyn, Kings County, NY, United States
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Other Projects by Dattner Architects
Charles F. Murphy Early Childhood Development Center
Brooklyn, Kings County, NY, United States
Firm
Type
STATUS
Built
YEAR
2018
SIZE
10,000 sqft - 25,000 sqft
Located in the heart of Coney Island, the Charles F. Murphy Early Childhood Development Center is Catholic Charities’ new Head Start Center provides Pre-K education for 85 local children. Replacing a childhood development center facility destroyed during Hurricane Sandy, the building serves as a symbol of neighborhood revitalization. Elevated above the flood plain, resiliency, sustainability, and active design inform the design of the building.
Stepped roofs allow for outdoor gardens, learning spaces, and play areas for each age group. The Center fosters the social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development of preschoolers in a safe environment guided by the philosophy of the Montessori approach to early childhood education.
As part of its community-focused mission, the new center provides social services in addition to its pre-school function. The ground floor of the building is designed for shared public use, with a daylit, double-height multipurpose space used as a gym by children during the day, and for community events afterhours. The expansive lobby serves as a pre-function space, showcasing artwork by children as well as local artists. The center is as much a community building as it is a pre-school.
The new center is guided by the Montessori educational philosophy that children’s most important learning occurs outside the classroom. This philosophy is the main design driver for the building, organizing instructional space around play roof terraces and blurring the distinction between indoors and outdoors. The landscaping of these play roofs is inspired by Coney Island’s sand dunes and native grasses, incorporating nature into children’s everyday learning. Light-filled classrooms have expansive wall-to-wall windows, strengthening their relationship to the play roofs and beckoning children outside.
Stepped roofs allow for outdoor gardens, learning spaces, and play areas for each age group. The Center fosters the social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development of preschoolers in a safe environment guided by the philosophy of the Montessori approach to early childhood education.
As part of its community-focused mission, the new center provides social services in addition to its pre-school function. The ground floor of the building is designed for shared public use, with a daylit, double-height multipurpose space used as a gym by children during the day, and for community events afterhours. The expansive lobby serves as a pre-function space, showcasing artwork by children as well as local artists. The center is as much a community building as it is a pre-school.
The new center is guided by the Montessori educational philosophy that children’s most important learning occurs outside the classroom. This philosophy is the main design driver for the building, organizing instructional space around play roof terraces and blurring the distinction between indoors and outdoors. The landscaping of these play roofs is inspired by Coney Island’s sand dunes and native grasses, incorporating nature into children’s everyday learning. Light-filled classrooms have expansive wall-to-wall windows, strengthening their relationship to the play roofs and beckoning children outside.
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