Douglass Community Center
Douglass Community Center is renovating an existing community center that involves a new Net-zero community building and the renovation of six acres of recreational amenities, including playing fields, picnic areas, an outdoor pool, splash pad, and playgrounds. Net-zero in this project refers to a building that can generate one hundred percent of its energy needs annually through on-site renewable energy sources. The new community center building is situated in the center of the park to serve as a focal point for which activities spiral out, centralizing gathering, distribution, control, and observation. The overarching design goal is a central gathering space defining the community center as the heart of the community and an opportunity to honor the history of the Douglass community and the development of the park in the 1960s.

Exterior

Form follows function

Aerial view

Day area

Central gathering

Playground

Section
The massing of the building supports sustainable design objectives. This series of diagrams illustrates how the building form satisfies design objectives including natural ventilation through the atrium; rooftop solar panels and glazing for solar gains; green roofs and rainwater harvesting; and quality views throughout the site to playgrounds, outdoor fitness areas, and the pool.
