The Tomball Early Excellence Academy brings together the youngest minds in Tomball ISD, creating an environment where the joy of learning is prominent for all to see. Wonder and discovery shape the educational experience founded in exploration, investigation, problem solving, and creative imagining. The school itself is a tool for learning, inspiring a love of nature through the interplay of nature between humans and the world around them. Biophilic elements of sea, land, tree, sky, and space evoke curiosity and connection to the natural world.

With a design concept rooted in scale and growth, an immersive experience takes learners through the space. Interior finishes at the district’s first dedicated early childhood learning center are selected specifically for this age group to ensure all learners are afforded equitable learning experiences. Secure outdoor play environments hug the building on the front and back facades and allow for outdoor activities throughout the day.

Learning pods make-up the building. Research-based design strategies are curated per learning pod to engage the needs of early childhood learners. Each pod encourages different kinds of play with color themes that take students through interactive lessons.

The pink pod is imaginative and teaches cooperation while allowing students to be creative. Orange teaches social awareness and collaboration when interacting with others. Green is a language focused area where students learn letter recognition through storytelling. Purple demonstrates emotional competencies. Blue is a mathematical area that makes number recognition and shape identification fun.

Exposure to biophilic elements improves cognitive functioning and increases motor coordination while inspiring a love of nature. Learning spaces include animal themed furniture, forest features, and ocean concepts. Learners begin their journey in the blue pod, representing the smallest of scale under the sea before emerging from water and entering land at insect level in the purple pod. From here, another growth spurt is defined through tree canopies in the green pod. The orange pod represents rising from the trees and taking flight before finally launching out of this world and into the stars in the pink pod.

This thoughtful curation of the physical environment engages the imaginations of learners and educators in a way they have never experienced. Our design evokes a feeling of surprise, awe, and joy at every turn.

From doors and openings to platforms and furniture, our design intentionally brings usable features to a scale appropriate for early childhood users. Additionally, a simple building form and interior flow decreases travel times between activities, recapturing valuable teaching and learning time that is traditionally lost in transition. Every space is a learning space here. Flexible, multi-purpose spaces in proximity to classrooms allow for learning to happen anywhere and everywhere.

Considering the campus as an educator workplace is a crucial element to the success of the school. In a world of small-scale accommodations for those they serve, educators are afforded spaces designed and sized for their own wellness, collaboration, and productivity. Providing spaces of dignity for educators increases retention and wellbeing, ensuring educators return year after year.

Design: DLR Group
Photography: Slyworks Photography