Moorhead Recreation Center
Aurora, Colorado
Excelsior Springs Community Center
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Larkspur Community Center
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BASE Community Center
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The Beacon Recreation Center
Arlington, Texas
Consistent with the City of Arlington’s goal of maximizing citizen participation in all its planning efforts, this project collected significant citizen input. These opportunities included interactive public meetings, an on-line survey and on-going comment collections via email and phone calls. Together we developed design threads of Ensemble, Glow, Landmark, and Roots.
LocationArlington, Texas
ClientCity of Arlington
TypeRecreation
CategoryPlanning + Studies, Multigenerational, Urban
Square Footage36,000
Completion2020
Partners
Public input led to the re-imagining of recreation services for Southeast Arlington. The resulting master plan unifies indoor and outdoor experiences at Webb Park. With sustainability, place making and community building as central themes, the new 33,000 square foot, two-level facility will perform as an ensemble of complex programs with both indoor and outdoor activities seamlessly combining social, fitness and recreation spaces.
Connection
The minute you step inside The Beacon the words on the front desk welcome you in many different languages. It isn’t just the many cultures that are brought together here but the physical space too. The Center connects with Webb Park and adjacent and integrated outdoor amenities such as a skatepark, playground, splashpad, event patio, and fitness garden. We connected with local artists for color pallet inspiration from their murals.
Design Threads
Ensemble: Almost no hallways, organized around a central hub of social activity.
Glow: The building is a beacon illuminating civic pride and drawing people to it.
Landmark: A new focal point and gathering space for the community.
Roots: Critical that facility offered something of value for all ages and abilities throughout all generations.
Stair Track
To answer the need for a multiuse space BRS designed an alternate path on the elevated run/walk track that incorporated stairs for that extra calorie burn to work out the core, glutes, hamstrings and quads.
Integrated with the track, it started like this
Then the main staircase was separated from the stair track
Staircase and stair track rendering
The area becomes a central flexible hang out space
The stair option of the track allows for variation
It is a visual landmark of the Beacon
“I have to thank BRS again. You guys did an incredible job of design and creating so many forums for our citizens to have an opportunity to feed into the design itself. Job well done BRS! ”
– Mayor Jeff Williams, Arlington, Texas
Glow
In the day time and in the evening, light plays a dramatic role. At night, the building is a beacon illuminating civic pride. Streaks of light built into the masonry travel through the length of the building. Our team gave special attention to each window to make sure each one glowed with equal lumens to make sure no one source was brighter. Two faces of the building allowed it to shine in multiple directions. Sunlight dazzles the senses through the atriums in the daytime too.
Credit to HLB Lighting Design
Exterior at night
A glow from the ceiling and behind the mirror
Fitness Studio
HLB envisioned the elevator door glowing
The elevator is easy to find
Light inlayed into the stonework travels through the hall
Daytime view
Nighttime view
Splash pad hosts events for up to 100 people
Southwest side of the building at dusk
A two-story atrium glows in the daylight
Photo credit City of Arlington
A proud staff
Grand Opening Festivities
Craig Bouck speaks at the opening
Fitness Garden
Splashpad and outdoor event space
Kids love the splashpad
Many places to sit and reflect
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