Boys & Girls Clubs of Central VA – Albemarle Campus Club

The project’s first victory is the preservation of six acres of wooded hillside, achieved by moving the intended building site to previously-developed land.

The new site offered the possibility of a relatively narrow building that would relate strongly to the bordering woods, one wall of each program room benefitting from high views into the nearby trees.

Four schools and a Club: This Boys & Girls Club is sited within walking distance of four public schools, bringing hundreds of children and teens to the Club every day.

The program rooms offer high views to the trees, and an environment for focused activities and learning.

The cafe sits between teen and youth zones. A teaching kitchen and culinary arts room is adjacent.

Vertical details echo the trees outside.

The Club’s unique restroom design breaks the traditional mold, and offers a model for the future.

The traditional school restroom is a space for a group of kids with a single door, little supervision, no transparency, and very little privacy—for a typical child a stressful proposition.

By contrast, the restroom design at the Club is open and inclusive and maintains appropriate levels of privacy, while allowing discreet staff supervision.

Shared modern hand-washing sinks make a bold statement about inclusivity and communal hygiene—especially important in a school environment. Semi-transparent glass screen walls between the hand-washing area and public areas bring energy and a sense of play. Individual water closets are not gendered, and each has a mirror for a quick grooming checks.

A typical cross section shows squash courts on the forest level, most club program activities on the middle level, and the somewhat-independent regional club offices above.

A view of the club from the half-court and squash terrace