Ed Rice Community Center
The Center serves as a threshold between the community and park prioritizing connectivity and wellbeing. With an exaggerated linear parti easily reused and incorporation of the existing aquatic center and pumphouse, a new life and identity creates a cohesive whole. On the interior, a broad public corridor widens at gathering spaces, encouraging interaction between multi-generational users.
The two greatest populations of users are youth and the elderly. The previous Center was focused entirely on youth activities and the gym, resulting in the elderly population feeling as though they didn’t have a place at the Center. An important design driver resulted from multiple community engagement and listening sessions – planning the Center to be flexible, mixing functions for different groups so that all segments of the community meet and interact in the circulation spine, with the goal of fostering empathy and awareness.
The narrow width of the building and integrated courtyards provide long and expansive views to the surrounding park. With occupant wellbeing paramount, access to views of nature are framed throughout, daylight is brought into most every occupiable space including the gym, no redlist materials, chemicals of concern, or VOC-containing materials were used, and more spaces for chance interactions exist throughout.
