Community Resource Center

Design Theme Description

Mission of the facility: The Community Resource Center will provide services and resources to the residents of an under-resourced neighborhood. It will serve as hub for community action and interaction. The center will provide outreach from a number of sources including governmental, NGOs, religious organizations, primarily serving residents of the surrounding community. It is envisioned that similar programmatic facilities could be located elsewhere in the city, or the program could be replicated in other cities, as well.  The building and site design should create spaces that embrace community members in order to serve their needs and amplify their strengths in a manner that serves the mission of the Community Resource Center. While people (adults, some bringing small children, and high school students) will use the services of the center, the community and local social organizations may also host gatherings or meetings there, as well.  Conceived as a studio project for students in the first two years of architectural study, this project for a Community Resource Center explores a design intervention in a dense urban context on a unique, irregular site in what is a mostly gridded city. The competition program introduces a facility for social programs into a neighborhood where these services are desperately needed. Accommodation of the functional program and an urban fit for the building, including its exterior spaces, should be woven into the existing context so as to respect the public and private realms that surround the site. At the same time, the building design should convey the significance of the structure urbanistically and functionally in the community. Its interior spaces should be comfortably accommodated on the urban site. The facility design should be one that is welcoming and accessible to all members of the community. Design solutions should address current concerns for sustainability and environmental friendliness.