Building permit highlight for Sept. 12

The 20,600-square-foot facility will have two floors. The first floor will have five preschool classrooms, infant room, gymatorium (combined indoor play and assembly space), multipurpose room, kitchen, library and toy-and book-lending library. The second floor will have two adult education classrooms, computer lab, conference rooms, Partnership for Families Northside offices and staff workrooms. There also will be a playground.

The center will be a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certified Gold building. The U.S. Green Building Council bestows the LEED certification based on standards it sets for environmentally sustainable construction.

The learning center design uses green technology, such as solar panels on the roof to provide some of the building's power. Aspects of this design will be incorporated into a science curriculum for preschool students.

The scheduled completion date is summer 2010.

The contractor is RVA Construction, and the architectural firm is Smith + McClane Architects.

The playground is designed by Dave Gerstenmaier of Higgins & Gerstenmaier; interiors are by Creative Office Environments of Ashland.

The project cost is $2.24 million, according to the building permit.

See the entire list of weekly building permits at TimesDispatch.com. Keyword: Metro Business