The town of Belmont, MA engaged a design team including Odeh Engineers, Jonathan Levi Architects, and Burt Hill, to create an innovative new early learning center. The team used a truly collaborative design process, including an integrated BIM, to develop a highly sustainable facility suited to modern K-4 education but with flexibility to adapt in the future.

The design of the two-story building incorporates an innovative “light shelf” at each floor that directs daylight deep into the building to maximize natural lighting and minimize energy use. Using BIM allowed for careful coordination of structural steel member depths with the architectural forms and the mechanical systems. Structural framing was also exposed in many areas, making coordination critical to the success of the architectural interiors.