The design of the new Program Headquarters models a postsecondary environment to facilitate engagement and learning for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities
Acclaimed interdisciplinary design firm HGA announced the completion of a new Program Headquarters for Becoming Independent (BI), now actively in use by the community-based, nonprofit service organization. Established more than 50 years ago, BI helps people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) live meaningful and productive lives through innovative services focused on education, independent living, and employment support.
The new Program Headquarters is the consolidation of BI’s Sonoma, Healdsburg and Marin campuses into a centralized, multi-dimensional hub for participants and staff. HGA’s design of the facility reimagines BI’s Santa Rosa property including one building and adjacent garden where BI’s innovative offerings can now be actively developed, accessed and experienced by the entire community.
“Since its founding, BI has been staunchly committed to providing exceptional services for those in our communities with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and we’re excited to now offer those services in a dynamic facility that represents BI’s core values of innovation, resilience and adaptability,” said Luana Vaetoe, Becoming Independent’s Chief Executive Officer. “HGA’s design work has deeply resonated with our team and, through their efforts, BI is now well positioned to fully integrate all of our services—from employment and education to supportive living—in an environment accessible to all of our current and future participants across the North Bay.”
In addition to consolidating BI’s disparate campus locations and addressing necessary improvements to the existing industrial buildings on site, HGA’s design for the Program Headquarters focused on optimizations for accessibility across a wide range of physical and intellectual needs. Furthermore, the new design was intended to provide BI a setting that matches the caliber of services and supports the innovative program curriculum for which the organization is known.
Key spaces within BI’s new Program Headquarters include:
- Flexible program space: At the heart of the headquarters is a 10,000-square-foot, primary programming area that integrates two retractable soundproof walls that can turn it into three separate rooms—each containing mobile furniture that can be easily arranged into a variety of layouts to accommodate multiple uses and training styles.
- Commercial kitchen: Equipped with restaurant-quality appliances, the 785-square-foot kitchen offers increased opportunities for BI to provide vocational training as well as develop independent living skills and support social engagement through cooking classes and serving meals.
- Outdoor garden: A 10,000-square-foot outdoor garden is accessible to clients and BI staff, with views of the Sonoma County hills via three large glass doors in the open program areas, which roll up to connect the space with a new patio expanse that leads to the garden, creating an indoor/outdoor environment for optimal wellness.
- Event center: When the flexible space is not in use for programs and services, BI can offer event space for rent ranging from small gatherings (3,300 square feet) to large galas (10,000 indoor and 10,000 outdoor square feet), all of which can transform the space to fit the host’s needs with access to the commercial kitchen. This provides another social enterprise to feed BI’s revenue stream and also offers market-wage employment opportunities for BI’s participants who wish to work in the events industry.
- Conference rooms and classrooms: Two additional flexible rooms are available and can be used as conference rooms or classrooms to support smaller groups focusing on activities such as resume building and job interviewing skills. Each room is designed to have a calming effect with full lighting and sound control for those with sensory sensitivity and is equipped to function as a “Zoom Room” for seamless hybrid connectivity.
- Adaptive fitness center: A 435-square-foot, fully equipped gym for indoor fitness classes is accessible from both the interior and exterior of the headquarters building and integrates lockers for BI’s clients, as well as two changing rooms with adult changing beds and a structural lift for accessibility.
- Offices: With a portion of the headquarters building dedicated to BI’s administrative operations, work space for BI staff members and related support spaces are integrated throughout.
“Prior to the creation of the new Program Headquarters, BI was faced with a situation that HGA has worked with many corporations to solve—effectively consolidating and densifying vital operations without losing the important spaces and functionalities that define an organization and help it thrive,” said Heather Kampa, principal at HGA and project lead. “With the headquarters building, we were able to provide BI a new homebase designed to help them pivot seamlessly from their various locations and enhance their services within a single connection point in Santa Rosa. It was HGA’s pleasure to be a part of making sure the new headquarters reflect both the distinct needs and ethos of BI to better serve the North Bay at large.”
Dignity Through Accessibility
The overall design direction of the Program Headquarters models the industrial style of makerspaces and tech incubators, which are often open and leave original structures exposed. The clean aesthetic offers a blank canvas for BI’s varied programming, further supporting the flexibility that is key to the space. With sustainability being a key concern, much of the existing shell was re-used.
Finishes throughout the headquarters nod to BI’s fresh, positive outlook on life and seamlessly incorporate the organization’s brand colors and recognizable graphics with materials that were carefully selected to be environmentally friendly, including rubber, recycled material in fabrics and finishes, low VOC paint and more. In support of overall wellbeing, the design also incorporates newfound beauty and delight to all senses through natural daylighting, biophilia and connection to nature with elements of variety and surprise to engage staff and participants.
Developed through a series of visioning sessions and workplace strategy events with key stakeholders, HGA approached every design decision with equity and dignity in mind, ensuring that each space within the new headquarters is equipped with appropriate tools to support participants in reaching their educational and personal goals. The end result is a postsecondary environment that goes beyond ADA compliance, equipped with state-of-the-art technology and accessibility for all at every turn alongside up-to-date air filtration systems.
Now, whether on-site, in the community or safe at home virtually, BI’s participants across the North Bay will find BI is ready and able to support them with the utmost of accommodations—both now and in the future.
ABOUT HGA
HGA is an acclaimed interdisciplinary design firm committed to making a positive, lasting impact for our clients and communities through research-based, holistic solutions. We believe that great design requires a sense of curiosity—forming deep insight into our clients, their contexts, and the human condition. We are a collective of over 1,000 architects, engineers, interior designers, planners, researchers, and strategists, with 13 offices. Our national practice spans multiple markets, including corporate, cultural, education, local and federal government, healthcare, and science and technology. Visit HGA.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.