October 29, 2024
A vital support for the residents of West-End Halifax, St. Andrew’s Community Centre replaced a repurposed structure over 60 years old. Despite its lacking form, the historic St. Andrew’s Community Centre was much more than just a public building, it was a ‘home away from home’ for many in this area. It was crucial that the new St. Andrew’s Community Centre maintain this welcoming and open feel, providing support to its patrons.
The site is in a dense part of the city, where the main highway enters Halifax, and a broad range of housing types blend – high density, low density and provincially supported – resulting in a broad range of income in the area. The community is diverse and historically known as a neighborhood that welcomes newcomers to the Halifax region. For many in the community, St. Andrew’s is their place of refuge – providing a sense of belonging and place to source needed social offerings such as adult literacy, underserved youth programming, and senior’s services. The main objectives of the project were to create a ‘home’ for this community that so crucially needs a place to belong, in a setting where they can take pride and feel at ease; to provide enhanced athletics and programming in a purpose-built space, and to achieve as much multifunctional use as possible.
BUILT FOR FLEXIBLE PROGRAMMING
During the design process, the goal was to maximize the flexibility of what the community centre could offer to the public. St. Andrew’s Community Centre speaks to the needs of its community by blending enhanced formal programmable spaces with extensive informal gathering space. The building’s massing is considered in three volumes: the central ‘main street’ is the entry, informal living room, and the corridor by which all other spaces are accessed. A smaller, human-scaled volume to the south includes much of the formal programmable spaces such as an art/pottery studio, an indoor playground with climbing wall, flexible meeting rooms, and a large community kitchen that opens onto an outdoor eating area. To the north of the main street is the largest volume, containing an 8,400 sq. ft. gymnasium, service space and a youth and senior’s room.
The design team created a design process that was open, inclusive, welcoming, and representative of the people for whom it was being built. Through this process, it was found to be essential for this community to book basketball tournaments, leading to the enhanced gymnasium. Other elements were identified through this engagement such as operable walls to increase room capacity, AV capabilities and kitchenettes were provided in many rooms, thereby increasing the flexibility of the spaces. The main street culminates in a large multipurpose/dance studio that can be divided into two rooms which can be programmed simultaneously. These rooms are finished with activity flooring, indirect lighting, mirrors and ballet barres, white boards and projection capabilities to allow for a wide range of activities to take place, from seniors’ book clubs to children’s tae kwon do.
“At St. Andrew's Community Centre, we wanted to create a space where everyone feels at home. The design features an inviting ‘main street’ that connects various activity rooms, encouraging interaction and fostering a sense of community among residents of all ages.” Catherine Hefler, Project Architect
The architectonic underpinning for the building’s design supports its community-focused design goals. The building is two solid volumes of program space that open onto a bright, porous indoor ‘street’. The street serves as an all-season gathering space, full of daylight and forming the central volume from which all activities can be accessed and viewed. The volumes arranged on the north and south sides of the internal street both protect it and connect it to the outdoors. A primarily solid block placed on the north side contains the gymnasium and services. As the largest volume in the composition, it provides a protective shell against the north winds. Along its south side, the street is conceived of as a lantern to the city and is detailed with a clerestory of translucent southeast-facing glazing for its entire length, providing passive daylighting inward and a glowing beacon outward at night. To the south is a lower block of more intimate group spaces. Here attention is focused on haptic detailing; the volume is clad in brick, and the interior finishes incorporate wood, tile, patinated metals and fabrics in a rich palette of textures and subtle, relaxing colours. This volume runs adjacent to the south-facing plaza and is punched with many openings to invite users into the greenspace and creating a porous connection to the outdoor spaces.
The project showcases the importance of urban design and with open greenspace and the patio on site, the space supports Halifax Recreation initiatives. The building and the greenspace are interwoven, demonstrated in the connected from the patio to the community kitchen. Large doors open up to the two spaces to create room for big gatherings and feasts. The community kitchen and eating areas welcome people and facilitate events such as large formal dinners, bazaars, cooking classes, and other community gatherings. The kitchen has received a great deal of use allowing community members to come together over cultural experiences using the sharing of food to transcend language barriers. The building’s design and function support the urban design principle of creating and maintaining complete communities in the HRM.
A WELCOMING ENVIRONMENT
St. Andrew’s exemplifies a design where the community is prioritized. A main objective was transparency and safety, with intrinsic security built into the design, allowing for all to feel comfortable and welcome. This is achieved through the plan and section. The main street optimizes passive security and supervision over the entire centre. Expansive interior glazing allows all activities to be viewed and the single straight corridor optimizes wayfinding and makes it easy for a sole HRM employee to be aware of everyone in the centre. With the lower volume placed to the south, the main street is full of daylight from the clerestory glazing, creating a welcoming informal gathering space and living room that showcases public art. In balance to this openness, the design team considered inclusive design and the diversity of the neighbourhood with varying levels of privacy. In part, this is achieved through interior blinds, allowing activities such as meetings of local Muslim women’s group have the privacy they desire. Elements such as inclusive washrooms continue to create a space that prioritizes comfort and wellness of all individuals. In early stages, two storey options were considered for the project, and through further stakeholder engagement and design workshops we determined that we could achieve an improved level of access and accessibility through a single storey design.
SUSTAINABILITY: TARGETING LEED SILVER
Not only does St. Andrew’s Community Centre demonstrate community support, but it also aims for sustainability through passive and active design. The siting and massing of the building optimized solar exposure, minimizing strong western light. Aiming for LEED Silver certification the project incorporates energy-efficient mechanical and electrical systems and durable materials. The mechanical system is fully controllable, providing comfort while reducing heating and cooling consumption. The materials and textures were selected to support the multifunctionality and required durability while maintaining a sense of warmth. Highlights of wood used for doors and an acoustic treatment bring warmth and natural texture, to balance the more durable hard tiles and concrete required in some areas.
With the everchanging social trends that reflect our changing communities, St. Andrew’s Community Centre is the welcoming facility for the community to use for socializing and creating new connections with others. Through design, the facility is accessible and welcoming to the entire community. It is a landing point for the public who seek acceptance and connection with others; truly a ‘home’ in the city.
See everything St. Andrew's Community Centre has to offer in a video tour of the facility.