A new pre-school space for Headstart children was literally carved from the basement of a 1910 stone church. Ceiling heights were too low as the church floor above sloped downwards towards the pulpit. Our design solution was to carve out the basement floor to gain adequate ceiling height while embracing and highlighting the fan-shaped ceiling beams which supported the sloping floor above. The end result is a bright (non-basement feeling), open & exciting learning environment for the children.