Macomb Township Community Recreation Center

Macomb Township, MI
Construction Cost: $15 million
Area / Square Feet: 57,693
Occupancy Date: July 2004

During the past decade, Macomb Township has been among the fastest-growing communities in the nation. In the late 1990s, township trustees purchased a square mile of land near the center of the township for a new Community Recreation Center (CRC).

The CRC design places larger athletic components at the rear of the site to preserve the prominence of nearby Township Hall. The portion of the building that faces the town square is traditional in design and smaller in scale. It evokes a Mediterranean theme, with the athletic spaces arranged in a simple economical form beyond the pavilion that faces the square.

The building program emphasizes high-revenue, low-operations-cost spaces in order to maximize cost recovery. These include spaces for tots and teens, a fitness area, an aerobics room, a birthday party room, a gymnasium and a jogging/walking track.

The Mediterranean theme extends inside with the repeated use of a Greek wave graphic to remind visitors of the facility’s aquatic features. Beyond the control desk is a two-story skylit atrium that serves as a community living room at the heart of the building, complete with views into all activity spaces.

Beach, cabana and other tropical themes grace the children’s areas, while the natatorium suggests a Caribbean vacation getaway. The locker rooms complete the resort feel, with warm wood tones and colorful tile patterns on the floors and walls.