Nestled between existing hardwood hedgerows and a wooded network of pathways, the Holly Community Centre creates a series of three naturalized courtyards that serve outdoor extensions of various program components.
The building exterior adopts a bold, clean modernism that emphasizes the bright, lofty volumes of the gym and pool, which face the street, marketing themselves through large expanses of clerestory glazing. Smaller and more transparent spaces, such as preschool and public meeting rooms, are wrapped around the volume of the two hockey arenas, breaking down the building’s overall scale. The building’s modernism is tempered and adapted to the wooded parkland through the use of phenolic cladding panels with an integral wood veneer. This material alternates with expanses of glass to give the building a light panelized upper level that contrasts with the use of a black iron-spot brick at the lower level.
Internally, the large programmatic elements of two hockey arenas, a recreational natatorium, a gymnasium and a fitness club are organized around an L-shaped corridor. A lofty two-story entry lobby serves as the primary orientation space and features the main welcome/ control desk, a snack bar and ample café seating. A high degree of transparency allows visitors to experience activity spaces from the lobby. Likewise, corridors at both levels provide views beyond multiple layers of programming to the wooded surroundings.
Altoona Community Services Campus Multiphase Expansion
