Dulles South Multi-Purpose Center

Renewed Center for Recreation and Community

The Dulles South Multipurpose Center is the culmination of a two-phase project conceptualized as a whole. The original community center phase, completed in 2010, included an early childhood education center, community meeting spaces and a temporary accommodation of senior spaces.

Designed as a comprehensive building for the large expansion that was completed in late 2017, the final phase included community recreation with indoor leisure and competition aquatics, and an integrated senior center in a small, undeveloped park setting that serves a growing suburban Washington, D.C./Northern Virginia suburb.

The neo-traditional exterior was a response to the character of the residential setting, with massing carefully composed to reflect the smaller scale of both the park and surrounding residential housing, while still providing a larger community feel and clearly communicating a hierarchy of three entry points.

The use of arches, clerestory lanterns and porticos introduce a smaller scale that is adapted seamlessly to both tall recreation spaces and the one-story senior area.

The material palette of brick and stucco, and the primary gable roof massing were both a requirement and an appropriate response to the residential setting and development directives. The arches and clerestories allowed large amounts of glass — providing natural light during the day and serving as beacons of activity at night — to be introduced within a fenestration pattern that did not adversely affect the neighborhood residential setting.

Portfolio
Location

South Riding, VA

Building Type

Multi-Purpose Community Center

Size

87,000 SF


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