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Grand Rapids Community College - Early Childhood Learning Laboratory

Providing a facility for hands-on educational opportunities

  • 22K+

    Square Feet

  • 154

    Student Capacity

  • Grand Rapids, Michigan

    Grand Rapids, Michigan

Continuing the 40-year history of exemplary early childhood education at GRCC

Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC) has a 40-year history of providing exemplary early childhood education. The new Phyllis Fratzke Early Childhood Learning Laboratory building relocates the existing program onto campus and aims “to become an internationally recognized, premier center of excellence.” The learning laboratory will centralize the program to its users and support hands-on learning for college students at GRCC.

Due to an aggressive design schedule, our team used a series of design charrettes with GRCC to define goals, prioritize dreams, iterate options, and synthesize decisions to strengthen the program’s ambitions. The single-story building features a flexible multi-purpose room, an adjacent family reception lobby, administrative support offices, and adaptable classroom laboratories. We also worked to provide direct access to natural light, as well as the functionality for optional outdoor learning.

With the addition of the Early Childhood Learning Laboratory, GRCC aims to elevate the program as a community-based resource dedicated to early childhood education for educators, parents, and providers throughout the Grand Rapids Community.

At a Glance

Offices
Client
  • Grand Rapids Community College
Awards
AIA Michigan, Honor Award, 2018
AIA Detroit, Honor Award, 2017
Learning by Design, Citation of Excellence, 2017
Meet Our Team

Kristin Simoneaux, Associate, Senior Mechanical Engineer

My goal is to design systems that benefit the client, the user, and the environment through innovative design.

Casimir Zalewski, Principal, Buildings

It is my goal to tailor a system that is reliable, maintainable, and efficient that folds into the architecture of the project.

Dan O’Connor , Electrical Team Leader

As electrical engineers, we design systems that illuminate buildings and structures and forge a path to a greener, more sustainable world.

Kristin Simoneaux

Associate, Senior Mechanical Engineer

Casimir Zalewski

Principal, Buildings

Dan O’Connor

Electrical Team Leader

We’re better together

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  • Design your career

    Work with passionate people who are experts in their field. Our teams love what they do and are driven by how their work makes an impact on the communities they serve.

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