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UDAD 2018 Sports & Recreation

Orange Park Recreation Center by Marcy Wong Donn Logan Architects

The Orange Memorial Park is an important public recreation venue for the inhabitants of South San Francisco, and provides a vibrant context for the community and recreation center, encircled by soccer fields, picnic areas, basketball courts and other outdoor amenities. The building’s dominant element is an airy, light-filled, central space which hosts cultural, recreational, celebratory, and educational activities. Exposed wood roof-trusses are robustly expressed, and the high structure extends the internal space by cantilevering far beyond the envelope and over the surrounding outdoor patios. Environmental features also add to the architectural character of the building: the project is sited with regard to solar orientation, and deep overhangs, sunshades, and abundant sun-protected fenestration provide natural day-lighting and views. The Pavilion’s striking aesthetic and openness to the surrounding landscape realize the city’s desire to become a visual focal point for the park and an icon for the community.

Urban Design & Architecture Design Awards 2018
Second Award | Category: Sports & Recreation
Architects: Marcy Wong, Donn Logan
Studio: Marcy Wong Donn Logan Architects
Team Members: Marcy Wong, Donn Logan, Tai-Ran Tseng
Country: United States
Website: www.wonglogan.com

Compositionally, the building is comprised of a juxtaposition of two distinct rectangular masses – one large, light and transparent, housing the Activity Pavilion, with expanses of glass in concert with red and yellow cedar; the other by contrast a smaller box of basalt stone containing the entrance lobby, staff offices, bathrooms, storage, and commercial kitchen. The building’s horizontality is accentuated by the Pavilion roof whose paired glu-lam wood trusses span the 60-feet room; these trusses cantilever beyond the enclosed footprint to provide covered outdoor patio areas, while the sunshade framing extends even farther beyond. The large interior space within has a permeable connection to the park outside with three walls of windows opening up onto patios, sheltered by the building’s deep roof overhangs. These provide a shaded outdoor space for visitors to enjoy the activity of the surrounding park. Thanks to the combination of siting, architectural design, lighting design and mechanical engineering, the project outperforms Title 24 Standards by 16.2%, and qualifies the city for a rebate of thousands of dollars from PG&E.

The client and architect were also united in the goal of making the project as sustainable as possible within the fairly tight budget. This precluded the use of active or building-integrated photovoltaics, so the architects exploited passive solar principles and energy efficient mechanical systems. The roof has a cool coating to reduce the heat island effect, and the Pavilion is served by high efficiency roof-top AC units with air side economizers and CO2 sensors for improved indoor air quality. The building’s energy strategies are complemented by environmentally friendly materials – paints, coatings, adhesives, and sealants with low VOC, and plywood and fiberboard with no added formaldehyde – that minimize indoor air contaminants.

The polished concrete slab serves as the finished floor surface, reducing material use and producing a floor that is highly durable and easy to maintain. A high percentage of fly-ash is specified for the foundation concrete, and other material choices with high recycled content include recycled glass countertops and aluminum. Bio-swales treat run-off from the patios and ball courts, and the buildings were sited to preserve an existing Magnolia tree grove.