Project Details
- Project Name
- Don Fisher Clubhouse
- Location
- San Francisco
- Project Types
- Community
- Size
- 43,000 sq. feet
Project Description
FROM AIA SAN FRANCISCO:
The Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco plays a crucial role in diminishing the economic disparity and educational inequity in the City, where access to exceptional academic, recreational, and enrichment programs in state-of-the-art facilities remain out of reach for thousands of families. Last year, they served more than 17,000 young people at low-to-no-cost, primarily through Clubhouses strategically located throughout the City.
Situated two blocks from City Hall, adjacent to Hayes Valley, the new LEED Gold Don Fisher Clubhouse is the realization of long-held aspirations. The project called for the consolidation of a gymnasium, pool, program spaces, and administrative headquarters into an infill site on a modest budget.
The rich program is contained in a modest white stucco box that sits on a pedestal of concrete and glass. The simple form is punctuated by a composition of large window openings, recessed volumes, and school-bus-yellow fins that break up the volume of the building, animate the street through transparency, translucence, and human scale, and bridges the Beaux Arts grandeur of Civic Center with the contemporary buildings of Hayes Valley. The top floors step back to reduce visual bulk, while creating an outdoor terrace for staff.
Inside, the building is organized around a two-story “atrium” wrapped around a central stair that puts the array of program offerings in front of kids at all times, while enhancing supervision and safety. The atrium divides the clubhouse into two wings: a stacked swimming pool and gymnasium on the east, and the Club’s program spaces with two floors of administrative offices above to the west.