Georgia Power Childcare Centers

Georgia Power is the largest subsidiary of Southern Company and one of the nation’s largest generators of electricity.  In response to a grass roots committee assembled to respond to workplace issues, Georgia Power decided to build its first child care facilities; one at the Atlanta corporate campus location and one adjacent to the Henry County Customer Care Center. 

Heery was selected to design these facilities for Georgia Power.  The Atlanta facility is 25,000 SF and supports up to 150 children, while the 9,800 SF Henry County facility has a capacity of up to 74 children.  Heery’s role on the projects was providing interior design services, as well as overall project management for a large team of consultants, including Heery’s structural design and mechanical/electrical/plumbing  engineers providing pre-design services, as well as outside architectural and civil engineering and landscape services. 

Given Georgia Power’s initiatives to reduce the impact on the environment and their projects to make the air and water cleaner, one of the major requirements for the projects was that they be sustainable. Both projects obtained LEED Gold certification. Heery’s in-house LEED consultants were on-board early in the planning stages of the project, working with all team members including the contractor and the center’s operator, Bright Horizons, to guide the team on key decisions influencing the sustainability for the centers.  Incorporating high efficiency HVAC and lighting systems, as well as low VOC finishes into the building, helped achieve the LEED points necessary for a sustainable project.  Both centers obtained their certificate of occupancy in March 2008.