The Boys & Girls Club of Marshfield operated out of a 4,000-square-foot storefront for years while raising funds to build a permanent home. The recession slowed fundraising, but it also provided a new opportunity to build in a lower-cost environment. This factor, plus the design team’s use of pre-engineered construction, enabled the club to stretch its programming and include a gymnasium, a game room, an arts and crafts room, a teen center, a computer lab and offices.
The building is laid out on one major axis, with the program spaces located off of the “Main Street” corridor and windows looking into each space. Each program space has a different facade on the street to create identity and interest. Niches were developed along the street for reading nooks, and program spaces are designed to be flexible. For example, the teen room has a large overhead garage door to expand into the corridor for parties. While each room boasts a different color scheme, materials from the primary corridor also are used in the rooms to maintain continuity.
The major design challenge was to combine the efficiency of pre-engineered structures with the coastal New England vernacular while meeting the needs of the local Boys & Girls Club chapter. The scale of the large volumes was mitigated by assembling smaller-scaled program elements around them.
Bradford West Gwillimbury Leisure Centre
