Early Childhood Facility Provides Safe Place to Learn and Play

Award of Merit, Small Project: Educare Arizona Early Learning Center and Health Clinic, Phoenix

Photo by Tom Spitz Photography

The facility serves up to 175 children from low-income families in the neighborhood surrounding Phoenix's Brunson-Lee Elementary School.

Photo by Tom Spitz Photography

The facility is constructed of concrete masonry units with numerous clerestory windows in the classrooms for natural lighting.

This $7.5-million early childhood learning and health care facility serves up to 175 children from low-income families. The project's four concrete masonry buildings surround a central courtyard where kids can play safely in a 16-ft splash pad, sensory garden and tricycle path. The medical clinic includes exam rooms and labs to handle routine care and immunizations. When the project was threatened due to a delay in fundraising, the contractor issued a separate GMP for the site and utility work so that the project could be completed in time for that year's school enrollment. Designed to reach LEED Silver, the project incorporates pervious concrete, clerestory windows to flood classrooms with natural light, high-efficiency HVAC and solar hot water heaters.

Key Players

Contractor: Sundt Construction Inc., Tempe, Ariz.

Owner: Educare Arizona, Phoenix

Lead Design: RDG Schutte Wilson Birge Inc., Omaha, Neb.

Structural Engineer: A.V. Schwan & Associates, Scottsdale, Ariz.

Civil Engineer: Hilgart Wilson, Phoenix

MEP: Alvine Engineering, Omaha, Neb.

Submitted by Sundt Construction Inc.

Blair leads day-to-day operations of the ENR editorial team to ensure brand quality and further best practices. He spearheads ENR's various competitions, including Best Projects and the Award of Excellence, and organizes editorial content at events including the Top Young Professionals conference. A Jesse H. Neal, Construction Media Alliance and AZBEES-award-winning writer and videographer, Blair frequently contributes to ENR’s burgeoning video channel with project tour videos and interviews with industry leaders. He is also a frequent speaker and moderator on topics such as diversity and inclusion, design and jobsite technology, construction means and methods and marketing.