In today’s fast-paced world, creating spaces where children can learn, grow, and play is more important than ever. That’s exactly what HGD accomplished with the Play Street Museum project — the successful transformation of a vacant building into a vibrant, educational play space for children 8 and under, along with a toy boutique retail store and party room center. This wasn’t just another design project; it was a thoughtful, strategic, and collaborative effort with the Play Street Museum franchise and the Design-Build Contractor team – Omega Contracting & Consulting and Hall Group Design Engineering Firm (HGD), with HGD leading as the Designer of Record. From the beginning to the end of construction, HGD demonstrated the expertise, foresight, and leadership needed to deliver a project of this scale with excellence.
A Showcase of Leadership in Engineering, Architecture and Design
HGD’s solutions were bold and intentional. The ability to translate complex architectural and engineering concepts into actionable, understandable plans sets HGD apart. A critical part of the project’s success came from HGD’s attention to technical detail. Functionality with safety wasn’t an afterthought, but a central pillar of the design, with clearly marked hazards, ventilation data, and heating and cooling specifications all integrated into the plans. The design plans prepared by HGD included:
- Architectural floor plans and specifications, to include a building code analysis to address life and safety requirements; occupancy load calculations; demolition and floor plans of the new space; a furniture fit-out plan to align with the Owner’s vision; and, architectural details of specialty board panel museum exhibits
- Mechanical plans and specifications, to include a duct plan layout with duct sizing requirements; heating, cooling and ventilation calculations to ensure proper air flow for the use of space by children occupants and guests; water supply and sanitary drain calculations to ensure sufficient water supply and drainage for the building’s operations and bathroom areas.
- Electrical plans and specifications, to include a lighting plan with energy efficient fixtures, occupancy sensor, and daylighting control; illumination calculations to ensure optimal visibility and comfort for use of space to conduct children-related activities; power plans to support all of the operational electrical equipment, including a kiln room used for making pottery;
- Fire protection plans and specifications to modify the existing fire alarm and fire sprinkler system to accommodate the new floor plan layout.
The work didn’t stop at just the construction drawings. Every element of the facility was accompanied by cut sheets and manuals for all equipment selected as part of the basis of design. These detailed documents ensure that future maintenance and repairs can be completed efficiently, keeping the facility safe and operational for years to come by the Owner’s maintenance team.
Communication and Planning – Project Management Integrated at Every Stage
Throughout the project, HGD maintained clear and effective communication with project stakeholders. The design phase included early planning discussions to align the Owner and the Design-Build team with awareness of deadlines, design progress and potential time and cost risks to the project. During the construction phase, HGD remained engaged throughout the process to answer questions about building codes and technical requirements needed by the team. HGD was quick to respond with thoughtful analysis and clarification, ensuring that no issues or questions were left unresolved. This proactive communication provided the franchisee with peace of mind, the construction team with the confidence needed to complete the project successfully, and ensured everyone stayed on schedule.
More Than a Play Area: A Community Learning Hub
The vision behind this project was bigger than building walls and ceilings. HGD understood that this museum would be a positive resource for the Anne Arundel County (Maryland) community, its families and the DC-MD-VA region at-large. Quan Hall, HGD CEO, said ‘It is always an honor to support businesses who directly support and improve the quality of life for our communities. We are inspired by the impact Play Street Museum at Severna Park has contributed to inspiring creativity and life lessons for our children. I look forward to seeing the nation-wide impact the franchise will continue to make.”
With features like small, appointment-based group visits, birthday party events and community activities, the space encourages both social bonding and individual attention supporting safer play, interactive problem-solving skills, creativity and critical thinking development. By setting the age range to 8 and under, children visiting Play Street are surrounded by peers in a developmentally appropriate environment. Families can rest assured that their children will learn while having fun and building connections with others. Play Street is truly not just another building — it’s a thoughtfully designed environment where children can explore, imagine, and grow. It’s a destination.
Conclusion: Setting the Standard for Children’s Museums
HGD approached this project with one goal: To support its client with creating a space that helps to improve children’s lives and to help strengthen our community. Because We Care About People, We Care About Buildings.
