Gerald and Darlene Jordan Boys & Girls Club

Narratives

Architect Narrative

This new two-story facility was built to house a local branch of a nationally recognized affordable after-school program for 6-18-year-olds that supports their educational, emotional, physical and social development. The 45,000 square foot youth education and recreation center is a partial adaptive reuse and partial new construction design.

The client organization’s ultimate goal was to attract and retain long-term membership to their voluntary program. The client wanted a child-friendly environment, and required economical yet highly durable and easily maintained building materials and finishes. The design also needed to incorporate measures to control noise levels and movement between program areas, while providing maximum visibility/supervision with a limited staff.

It was important to separate the program areas for youth and teen members so that the younger children would not feel intimidated, and the teen members wouldn’t feel as if they were in day care. In anticipation of developing a performing arts program, the design needed to incorporate a dedicated performing arts room.

The architect’s design was developed with the idea of providing a creative and fun environment within which children would feel safe and comfortable. A ‘village concept’ was conceived, with the teen area located at the opposite end from the youth area, and a “Main Street” corridor linking them. Shared facilities, such as the pool, gymnasium and computer center, are located along the main corridor, as is access to the second floor performance room.

The new facility is an integration of contemporary, “playful” elements that support the program areas, generate excitement, and encourage participation in the different programs. The extensive use of interior glazing was vital to the program, as it allows members to see who was in a room and what activities were taking place without having to enter the space, which can be threatening for uncertain individuals. This feature had a dual purpose in that it also enhanced the visibility for staff members.

Specific color selections were made to reflect and enhance the different program areas. Soft and subtle blues were used in the study areas and the computer center, while vibrant and bold primary colors burst in the arts and activity rooms and gaming areas. Striking curved walls with recessed shapes accentuate a playful, lively atmosphere.

The performing arts space constitutes the majority of the second floor. Since it does not have fixed seating, it is a flexible space that can be used for a variety of programs, including community meetings.

Noise levels in the recreation areas are controlled by the use of carpeting with a lifetime warranty, and used carpet squares that can replace small sections when necessary. The initial cost was higher but is expected to pay off in the long run. With other facilities suffering from damage to their walls from artwork and notices, tac-wall bulletin boards were placed throughout the new facility.

To provide maximum durability for the program, products with lower life-cycle costs were selected, including carpets with lifetime warranties, resilient materials with “through and through” colors, and extended-life lamping in light fixtures. Flexibility was designed into several program areas to allow multiple uses, including moveable partitions, specialized padding under the multipurpose room carpet for conversion to dance and martial arts practice areas, and general, rather than task, lighting throughout the facility.

Educator Narrative

Since 1993, this nonprofit, after-school program was housed in five temporary locations, including a public housing apartment and two schools. Although lacking a permanent home, the program and staff provided much needed educational and recreational opportunities to local youth during after-school and evening hours, as well as a flourishing summer day camp.

While the program provided a strong foundation for so many youth, it was clear that the temporary and substandard locations were a disservice to its members, who needed and deserved a permanent, larger, and more effective program space. After a successful capital campaign, the dream became a reality, with a new state-of-the-art facility that opened in February 2002.

The overall goal of the program is to provide children aged 6-18 with a safe, affordable alternative to day care, alleviating the ‘wasteland’ of television and video games, and the potential dangers of unsupervised time at home or on the streets. Over the course of time, members develop the qualities and values they need to become successful adults, such as personal responsibility, confidence, interpersonal communication, positive self-image, a sense of community, and a strong work ethic.

The program opens the door to new experiences, exposing youth to education, the arts, technology, sports/fitness, and recreation, leadership and character development, and life skills, while in a safe and supervised environment.

To ensure that the new facility would support the organization’s goals and core programs, directors from other local facilities were included in the design process to gain valuable feedback on how to best design the new facility. Based on their feedback, the goals for the new facility’s design were:

1) To provide a youthful, playful, and visually stimulating exterior and interior to attract membership and encourage long-term participation
2) To separate teen space from youth space since teen membership tends to decrease when they are mixed with younger children, and the two groups have different emotional and skill levels
3) To design with durability in mind, as money is not in the budget to constantly replace worn finishes and fixtures

The new design incorporated all of the goals, and also ensured that different program areas were suitably sized based on the directors’ feedback. In addition to the separate youth and teen areas that provide arts, education, and recreational programming, shared program space such as the computer clubhouse, gymnasium, and natatorium, is aligned on a “main street” that connects the youth and teen areas so that they are accessible to all members.

The design has been so successful that the new facility now serves as the flagship location among all sister facilities, and future programs are being modeled after this site.

Today, the facility is the city’s most comprehensive after-school program. Membership has reached maximum capacity, and more than 250 children are on a waiting list.

Not only is there more space to work with, but it is more effective space that enhances the educational and recreational programming. Teen membership has grown dramatically since the opening as a result of the new, separate teen wing. The teen areas such as the lounge, activity room, and education center attracts teen membership, and once they join, they can be guided toward more educational activities like the college club, tutoring, or help with college admission essays.

The new facility has also positively impacted the city by enhancing the visual aesthetics of a mixed neighborhood of residential and industrial use. The community, the members and parents of club members love the playful design of the facility, as it attracts youth to join a quality program that provides them with a world of opportunity.