Highland Recreation Complex

In designing the new Highland Recreation Center and Complex, the City of Largo wanted to create a place that encouraged citizens to get out, play and get fit, while at the same time preserving the flatwood forest surrounding the existing aquatic center. The 30-acre park takes its inspiration from its surroundings and becomes a seamless extension of the natural environment, utilizing transparency throughout to create a sense of connectivity.

The 45,000-square-foot recreation facility was designed to feel as though it was always a part of the existing aquatic center. It features two gymnasiums, an indoor running track, a fitness center, program rooms, party rooms, and a child play area complete with a three-story treehouse climber. View corridors were created both inside and outside the facility, allowing visitors the ability to see the various activities on the campus.

The interior concept was inspired by a colorful environmental graphic scheme that not only assists to organize the facility, but carries into the exterior to help define all of the athletic activities available. Additionally, colorful graphics are visible on the exterior thanks to strategic use of glass, blurring the lines between interior and exterior. The roof is designed as a metaphor of the forest’s shade canopy, and exterior walking and running trails meander through the forest, further serving as extensions of the activities happening inside the center.