Robert Taylor Community Complex

Sarasota, Fla.
Construction Cost: $10 million
Area / Square Feet: 45,000
Occupancy Date: September 2011

This renovation project took a pre-World War II facility that had been subdivided over time and tore down barriers to create an open, flexible, light-infused facility. Beyond the dynamic curb appeal and the first impression, the building was designed to be a social center serving various needs of multiple generations. Circulation space replaced corridors, allowing unobstructed visual connectivity. Major components are open to and accessed by a humming central spine that serves as a natural conduit for wayfinding. Locker rooms were strategically placed to serve fitness, athletics and outdoor use, and a large stage in the community room and a smaller stage outdoors share a performance prep area, allowing for both indoor and outdoor performances.

The interior and exterior are visually integrated, with the sleek tropical expression and hue of the architecture finding its way into the light-infused spaces, creating a sense of outdoor experience for users while inside. Modern furnishings and light fixtures, rich accent colors and large-scale floor graphics provide texture and contrast to the tropical color palette.

The soaring gull-wing forms on the exterior are interrupted by expanses of glass that mirror the sky and cue an uplifted vision of redevelopment. A tropical cornucopia of colors is sprinkled across the articulated planes, punctuated by clear aluminum and Gulf Coast blue. An arcade reaches its arm out from the building base to provide protection from the elements for outdoor users. After dark, gleaming displays create a sense of identity and safety.