Key characteristics of the Preferred Concept include:
Separate Expansion: Keeping the new building separate from the existing building allows the project to avoid a seismic retrofit of the existing community center; this enables the new building to be larger, with more programming opportunities.
Organization: The new center is organized around a central courtyard that provides a secluded indoor-outdoor space for gatherings and small events. Interior spaces at the building’s perimeter provide views to G St and Kerckhoff Park to the south, the park to the west, and the parking lot to the north. The new center holds multipurpose rooms, emergency operations, emergency storage, private conference rooms, administrative spaces, kitchen, laundry, restrooms, and showers.
Architectural Character: Sloped roof forms complement the existing community center’s gable roofs while framing the central courtyard. This consistency helps establish a recognizable civic presence and an architectural vocabulary that support a cohesive community and resiliency-oriented campus.
The Preferred Concept reconfigures the parking stalls across the street at Kerckhoff Park, allowing the center to maintain its current parking count; this affords more space for the project site’s redevelopment.
