2030 Commitment: Prioritizing the Environment in Our Practice

The built environment is responsible for approximately 40% of the world’s carbon emissions. That’s a sobering statistic—especially for those of us in the AEC (architecture, engineering, and construction) community. Needless to say, we can’t simply halt all design and construction activities. But we certainly aren’t powerless when it comes to the climate crisis. In fact,…

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Powerful Tools for the Design of Sustainable Early Childhood Centers

At Patriquin Architects, the sustainability of the buildings we design is a top priority. Working within budgetary constraints, site parameters, and specific client goals, we strive to incorporate sustainable strategies as much as possible.   In early childhood center projects, we’re even more careful about indoor air quality, natural daylighting, and views to the outdoors,…

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How We Create Great Designs for Early Childhood Education

Designing facilities that meet the unique needs of young children and the educators responsible for their care and teaching requires attention to a few key elements. For example, there should be plenty of informal learning spaces, certain elements of the design need to be scaled appropriately for children, and consideration needs to be given to…

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How to Create Successful Master Plans for Early Childhood Facilities

Master planning in any environment has its challenges. When it’s done within the broader context of an academic campus, a high degree of coordination with the institution’s existing plans, processes, and goals is essential.   Our firm recently undertook a project for a new facility called the Neighborhood Preschool on the campus of Wesleyan University.…

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What Is Daylighting and Why Is It Important?

The term “daylighting” refers to architectural design that allows natural light into buildings. Daylighting provides many benefits, including increased productivity, enhanced connection to the outdoors, improved health, and energy savings. As a result, it’s highly desirable in educational settings. Numerous certifications for high-performance buildings feature daylighting as part of their rubrics. They cite daylighting as…

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