Architect
Project Location: Atlanta, GA
Project Completion Date: 2018
Short Description: The Martin Luther King, Jr. Recreation and Aquatic Center is conceived as a beacon that unites the community’s past and future while providing a place to congregate, interact, learn, and play. A two-story, light-filled interior promenade joins the two entries that become the canvas with which the Center links to the community’s past by displaying a timeline of seminal figures and events. The south end serves as a front porch and the north side overlooks the adjacent Selena Butler Park linking exterior and interior recreation, both ends demonstrating that people of all ages and backgrounds are welcome with open arms.
Architect’s Statement: Built to replace the aging and condemned facility of the same name, the new Center is marked by the brightly colored sculptural volume of its marquee. The iconic vertical beacon rises above the adjacent residential context to indicate the Center’s civic role and provide a visual marker for people approaching from the nearby MARTA stop. The Center is organized to maximize visibility and access, especially from the north and south approaches along Hilliard Street. A large entrance plaza anchors the southwest corner of the site, forming a bold “front porch” leading to the main entrance. In turn, the openness of the northwest corner allows the building to spill out toward and overlook Selena Butler Park while providing a secondary entry. In utilizing large expanses of transparent glazing to welcome visitors, both entries stand out from the simple metal panel skin that wraps the majority of the building. The building’s primary functional elements are organized along both sides of a two-story, light-filled promenade that connects the building’s south and north entries. The Center’s main recreational spaces—the gym, pool, fitness area and track—are positioned along the east side of the lobby. Accessed from the promenade’s west side, communal gathering spaces like the Senior Center and Multipurpose Room and educational spaces such as a classroom and computer room provide a public connection back to the street. The building’s circulation is highlighted to form a bold ribbon of movement throughout the Center and reinforce the physical benefits of movement. The running track weaves its way through the building’s second level, overlooking the gymnasium, natatorium, and lobby, as well as Hilliard Street and Selena Butler Park. A climbing wall rises up within the vertical space formed by the marquee volume, and a large slot window into the climbing area allows the marquee to serve as a direct indicator of the activity within the Center.
Type of Construction: As a public recreation center, the building employs a material palette that is durable and economical yet still bold and inviting. Concrete masonry units anchor the building to the ground while also providing a resilient base beneath the glazing and metal panels. The outermost wrapper is composed of vertically-oriented metal panels rendered in a neutral gray. Openings in this outer wrapper are vertical slots, a minimal counterpoint to the expansive glazing at the two entries. Horizontal, copper-colored metal panels provide a bold contrast to the rest of the material palette. Light fills the central interior promenade via a lengthy clerestory window, and skylights bring additional light into the pool and gym areas. Mechanical units sit in an open, second floor mechanical well between the pool and gym to maintain a visually-free roof, minimize additional building height and provide a direct connection to the big box spaces with the largest loads.