Little Lane’s Eaglemont Early Learning Centre is based on recent research that highlights the benefits of outdoor play for young children’s intellectual, creative, physical, and problem-solving development. The building’s design places a premium on outside, open areas and produces a top-notch, vertically integrated daycare complex that can accommodate up to 202 kids.

The building is the next step in Milton Architect’s exploration of the role that Outdoor Rooms play in a child’s understanding of the built environment. An outdoor room can be as simple as a child’s drawing, with the sky serving as the ceiling, walls enclosing the space, and trees and plants serving as the main focal points. In order to facilitate smooth vertical integration and advance the notion of the built environment as a cohesive play area, the design also produces a number of voids, terraced play, and connected levels. This is made even more intense by elevated portions of the outdoor space that provide sloping surfaces and inclines to assist kids in developing essential motor skills and to offer easy challenges that support cognitive growth.