We worked with both the City of Southgate and the YMCA to create a campus with two important goals: a community meeting spot and a fitness/recreational center. The key: A main lobby conceived as a family room, with visual connection to the activity areas – an indoor/outdoor pool complex, walking track, 8,000 sf dividable gym, climbing wall, and craft rooms. The two activity wings are set at an angle to one another, creating unexpected contours without adding construction expense. The complex includes an outside splash park with a zero-depth entry pool, water slides, and a picnic and concession area on the seven-acre site.

The principal impression is of a park: The drop-off area, directly in front of the lobby, is framed by the two activity wings, creating a sense of both shelter and of expanse. The glass that forms the curtainwall – the most significant architectural element – was chosen for its particularly high degree of transparency. The building gains stature from the highway, particularly at night, when the interior lights reveal so much activity; athletes enjoy the parklike setting as they work out.