Situated on 18 acres within a 100-acre park and civic campus, the Centennial Hills Community Center is organized similar to a retail mall. A central promenade through the building achieves the design goal of providing a social hub that also serves as a community events venue.
The main greeting and control desk is situated at the building’s fulcrum, where the promenade gently bends and entrance paths from the north and south converge. That allows for the visibility of activity space portals and of all of the public circulation paths from a single, central location. The mall concept also allows the possibility of operating partnerships through individual control of program spaces. A gymnasium complex anchors the west end of the building, the Active Adult Center anchors the central portion, and an aquatics complex that boasts indoor and outdoor pools anchors the east end. Numerous activity spaces connect these anchors, and the generous use of glass walls heightens the mall dynamic by making activities visible.
The linear design of the building on a single level was accomplished by recessing the gymnasium complex four feet, stepping down the exterior aquatics area and berming the surrounding landscaping.
Hershey Sports Complex
