IDEAS Children’s Center Woodbridge, VA / On the Boards

IDEAS Children’s Center is designed as a new immersive learning environment that places emphasis on engaging with nature. The new 20,000 sf ft facility designed by Gray Organschi Architects is situated on a 4.4-acre wooded site in Woodbridge, VA. The site is uniquely located along the fall line between the Virginia Piedmont Plateau and Coastal Plain. The site design seamlessly integrates the architecture into the steeply sloped site and celebrates the arrival sequence through a sinuous entry drive that ascends 32’ to the Entry Plaza. Exterior decks and outdoor laboratories invite the internal programming of each unique learning studio outdoors. The site design intricately weaves pathways and play structures between existing stands of mature tulip, maple and beech trees to provide much needed shade for play spaces.. Outdoor performance spaces including a Woodland Theater and Play Lawn create venues for large gatherings and intimate classroom experiences. Undulating landforms, rock outcroppings, and reused timber create an immersive outdoor play experience, educating young people about the boundlessness of their regional ecologies.

Architect | Gray Organschi Architects

Civil Engineering | Greenway Engineering