Bright Horizons Ballard Blocks Childcare Center
Bright Horizons Ballard Blocks Childcare Center
Childcare, Reimagined for the City
A FIRST-GENERATION SPACE
A First-Generation Home for Early Learning
As Bright Horizons' go-to architect in the Pacific Northwest, BA led a space planning effort for a new childcare center within the next phase of the popular Ballard Blocks mixed-use complex. The 12,500-square-foot tenant improvement — the first of its kind within Ballard Blocks II — was designed to serve 150 children aged 3 months through 5 years, requiring close coordination between the childcare facility, the shell-and-core design team, the landlord, and the contractor to ensure the building could support a licensed early childhood environment.
PLAY ABOVE THE CITY
4,600 Square Feet, Sweeping Views
The rooftop playground became a defining feature of the project, giving children generous outdoor play space in a dense urban setting, with sweeping views toward Elliott Bay. BA worked with the shell and core architect to coordinate the layout and construction of the rooftop space, along with a dedicated bridge connection linking the childcare center to the playground above — creating safe, intuitive circulation between indoor and outdoor environments.
BUILT FOR EARLY LEARNING
Bright, Functional Classrooms
Inside, classrooms are furnished and arranged to support Bright Horizons' early childhood education program, giving children a bright and functional environment from their very first day.
A VIEW LIKE NO OTHER
A Playground 150 Kids Won't Forget
Most childcare centers don't come with a view of Elliott Bay — this one does, four stories up, connected by a bridge built just for the trip from classroom to rooftop.
