Community & Non-Profit

Boys & Girls Club

of Northwest New Jersey

Project Details

Construction Type:

New building / Addition

Area:

6,500 SF

Year:

2007

Team

WB Engineering MEP Eng.

Thor Engineers Structural Eng.

The initial approach for the project consisted of adding an educational area to the community center located in the suburban town of Wayne, 25 miles West of New York City. The original building consisted primarily of two gyms, playrooms and other secondary spaces. The existing building lacked any personality or design features with any significance and was a concrete assembly of volumes in concrete painted white. This sterile building sat in a field of asphalt and grass surrounded by trees, ignoring its context.

This new center which happens to connect to the original building at a couple of locations was proposed for the Southwestern face of the gym building, as it improves the main elevation and addresses the primary approach to the whole complex. The design team envisioned a building providing a new face, in scale with its surroundings and satisfying the programmatic needs of the desired program. The 5,500 sf interior area addition to an existing community facility provides four classrooms for an early childhood educational center. Children between 3 and 5 years of age will come to these classes in order to take their first steps in the education process. The four classrooms share a common corridor that starts at the main entrance and physically separates the old and the new buildings. The common space also ends at a playground, nestled into a natural corner created by the two buildings. The playground is a key element to the design, as it is conceptually and physically the fifth classroom of this center.

The overall building is now covered by a floating roof, in a ‘V’ shape that gives a dynamic quality to the volume, while offering weather protection to its perimeter areas. This roof rests on five thin steel columns that rest on the opposite side of the classrooms, creating a covered outdoor space. This "Porch" is essentially a space for use by the teacher and students that becomes part of the classroom. Building materials were specifically selected to limit maintenance needs in the educational environments, while providing an elegant facade for the complex. The building has two book-ended brick walls in a dark grey color that frame the entire building while introducing piers between classrooms along the porch elevation. These piers are contrasted by a cement board shingle system in light ochre yellow color that provides a visual texture to the exterior wall. The Porch railing is a Trex board system supported by painted steel posts that create a wonderful shadow play depending on the time of day.

The window and door openings use a painted aluminum framed system that is indicative of punched openings that also offer a rhythmic quality to the elevation. These openings vary in size and allow the child’s scale to play a part in the transition between interior and exterior spaces. The interior of the rooms is basically an open space with a bathroom and pantry located in a corner. Rubber floor surfaces provide a factor of safety and durability, while introducing sustainable products to the material palette. This is not the only sustainable product in the project, as the playground is surfaced in recycled tire rubber, lighting is composed of energy efficient lamps and many other materials follow suit.