Bal Swan Children’s Center was founded in 1963 by a group of families who wished to create a local educational facility that would accept children with disabilities. A permanent building was established on the Bal Swan site in the 1970s, and was added onto incrementally through the early 2000s. The facility currently serves children from toddler through five years of age as a private early childhood center. The facility also includes therapy programming that serves enrolled children as well as the community at large.
The new Bal Swan was designed to serve infants through 5th graders in a dual private early childhood center and charter elementary school. (At present time, the project is pursuing funding for only the early learning center.) The project design included demolition of the existing facility and replacement with a new partial two-story building for both programs. The building was sized and organized to accommodate the ECE, Therapy Center, and 2-round PK-5 all under one roof and in related, but distinct, wings. The 3.5-acre site included new parking, outdoor, and playground areas to serve the facility.
LOCATION:
Broomfield, CO
CLIENT:
Bal Swan Children's Center
SCOPE:
Replacement Facility
COST:
To Be Determined
COMPLETED:
Currently Fundraising
Bal Swan’s focus on neuroinclusive environments and individualized therapeutic and educational supports drove the design for spaces to be both specialized and flexible. The entire site and building were designed to promote cognitive, emotional, and sensory wellness. With the understanding that a higher-than-average student population would be neurodivergent, careful consideration was given to transition areas, types of stimuli, social balance, and cognitive load to benefit those who would occupy the space.
