Kaplan to build 10,000 s/f $2 million child care center

Kaplan Construction has been selected to build a 10,000 s/f child care center for Bright Horizons Family Solutions. The $2 million project will involve the adaptive reuse of an existing office building on Harvard St. Kaplan began the work of transforming the building into a new child care and education facility in late September. The construction will include a complete demolition and fitout of the space, along with the installation of a new roof, MEP and fire protection systems, and emergency exit ramp. Kaplan will also be constructing a new onsite playground for Bright Horizons - a key feature of the new Brookline child care center. Town guidelines dictate that all new child care facilities must meet outside play space requirements without relying on the use of public parks or other public spaces. Bright Horizons' new playground will include mazes, playhouses, musical structures, balancing logs, tracks and bridges for bicycles, and state-of-the-art synthetic surfaces. "We were first introduced to Kaplan through their work on the recently completed Brookline Teen Center," said Jay Salvia, senior project manager at Bright Horizons Family Solutions, Inc. "Their proven ability to thoroughly understand how our mission relates to the facility is the reason we have chosen to work with them on Bright Horizons' newest center. We hope to build and expand upon our open team relationship in the months and years to come." The project team also includes studio MLA Architects responsible for the project's schematic plans and drawings, and interior designers Davis Sq. Architects. Construction is expected to be complete in February of 2014.