This project was commissioned to provide a central location for the at-risk youth population in the City of Montebello, east of downtown Los Angeles. The program includes space for 4 non-profit agencies to provide activities and services for the youth, and a police drop-in station. Two rooftop decks and a multi-purpose room provide areas for community gatherings. The center is sited within the 11-acre Reggie Rodriguez Park and is surrounded by a residential area.
The community center was conceived of as a physical expression of the often perilous passage from adolescence to maturity. A combination of active and reflective experiences is present: from porous public spaces which spill out into the park, to the more introverted and cloistered areas for concentrated work and growth. The entry, in a space congruous to the park plaza, is created by a seamless floor surface leading from the outside. All circulation is open to the air, exposed to the elements.
Views extend straight through the building both during the day and at night the light from the lobby spaces are filtered through the entrance screen, spilling light into the park. During the day the entire facade opens to the park as the coiling lobby screen opens and the rolling door slides opens to invite the community to explore the center's public spaces and programs.
