Drew Tiedeman
Resume/CV
Millbrook Pre-K
ProgramEarly Education Center
Recognition2024 AIA NC Design Awards
2024 Sir Walter Raleigh Awards
2024 AIA Triangle Design Awards
2024 Architectural Record Profile
2022 AIA NC Design Awards
The Millbrook Early Learning Center is the first freestanding public Pre-K design for the Wake County Public School System and has created a standard that the school system can draw on for future pre-k projects. The pre-k is situated on the site of an existing elementary school to make use of the existing infrastructure that was necessary for a first of its kind project to thrive. From the beginning the project was centered around the ideas of community, connection to nature, and general wellbeing. All eight classrooms surround the same large outdoor play space fostering a sense of connection between each of the different classes, while each class has a unique monumental skylight that fosters a sense of place for each student during their most formative years. The quality of light and prescence of the skylight creates an incredible sectional quality for a one story building and allows students to connect with their outdoor environment throughout the day.
My involvement in the project started when my peers and I at NC State took this project brief on as our final studio project. The following semester I was lucky enough to draw on my academic experience with the site and work on the actual project through the programming, and concept design stages. In practice I worked on developing plan iterations and testing those iteration with 3D models and 3D prints, developing the overarching concept for the design, developing material studies and form studies, testing skylight designs, and contributing to early building system design meetings.