In Tomball, Texas, DLR Group designed a new pre-K center that engages users' senses and imagination through nature-inspired colors, shapes, and varying scales.

Representing the first dedicated early childhood learning center in Tomball Independent School District, the 57,289-square-foot facility is comprised of learning pods where research-based design strategies engage the needs of approximately 550 early learners, ages 3-4. Rooted in biophilic elements that evoke curiosity and connection to the natural world, the design elevates learning through a curated journey through the physical environment, allowing learners and educators alike to deeply engage with their surroundings. Each learning space has its own distinctive supergraphics and color theme, depending on the interactive lessons that will unfold there:

o   Blue pod (ocean theme): number recognition and shape identification

o   Purple pod (land theme): emotional competencies

o   Green pod (tree theme): letter recognition through storytelling

o   Orange pod (sky theme): social awareness and collaboration

o   Pink pod (space theme): cooperation and creativity

Learners begin their journey in the blue pod, representing the sea, before emerging and entering land 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.  Spaces are designed with biophilic elements of sea, land, tree, sky, and space to improve cognitive functioning, increase motor coordination, and evoke curiosity and connection to the natural world.

Through DLR Group's holistic design approach, the school enhances early learning experiences for the district's youngest learners and allows educators to use the campus and its unique "learning pod" configuration as a flexible tool for teaching.