Photo credit: Nurtury
From (l to r) Latoya Taromino, Bromley-Heath resident and Nurtury parent; NaShira Pulley, Bromley-Heath resident and Nurtury alum; State Rep. Jeffrey Sánchez, D-Jamaica Plain; Boston Mayor Marty Walsh; Ron Ancrum, VP, Nurtury Learning Lab; Wayne Ysaguirre, Nurtury President and CEO; Matt O’Malley, Boston City Councilor; Matt Malone, MA Secretary of Education; and Bill McGonagle, Administrator of Boston Housing Authority
Boston– StudioMLA Architects has completed a new community hub and children’s learning lab in Boston for early education nonprofit organization Nurtury, formerly known as Associated Early Care and Education.
The 22,600sf, state-of-the-art learning lab in the Bromley-Heath Housing Development in Boston’s Jamaica Plain neighborhood will serve as Nurtury’s flagship facility in a unique campus of care and education.
The project team includes CWC Construction, San Miguel Project Management, Garcia, Galuska, DeSousa Engineering, Nitsch Engineering, and RSE Structural Engineers.
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh celebrated the opening of the Nurtury Learning Lab at a ribbon cutting ceremony in June.
It is situated in the heart of the Bromley-Heath Housing Development and will revitalize the neighborhood with community programming, a dynamic architectural presence, and enhanced green spaces. The building massing acts as a transition between the two-story buildings in the original Heath Street project and the taller buildings to the south, following the existing street edges to create a series of sheltered courtyards for active, outdoor play, learning, and discovery.
The exterior brick, natural cedar, and glass create an open, welcoming, and distinctive architecture that reveals a warm and vibrant interior. StudioMLA designed the lab to achieve LEED Gold certification. Early education-specific classrooms are designed to set a new standard and become a model for how the physical environment can enhance the learning experience while reducing stress.
A natural playground with grass, vegetation, and gardens, as well as a greenhouse with a year-round garden, offer children the connection between earth, sun, plants, and the foods they eat. The lab’s teaching kitchen will offer cooking classes and health promotion services emphasizing the importance of cooking healthy, nutritious meals. The multipurpose room will provide an indoor space for gross motor activities, meetings, and training functions, serving as a family support center where partner organizations can offer services and staff face time.
