Adaptive Reuse Recreation Center: Reimagining Urban Spaces Through Material Reuse and Modular Design | Bachelors Design Project

Site Context

The project site is a former federal parking structure located at 209 Center Street. The existing structure is organized around a four-by-six bay grid, with bay widths that vary throughout the building. Its Lafayette Street frontage is defined by a masonry wall set back 18 feet from the sidewalk, leaving a residual, unused space in front.

The site is centrally located at the intersection of three distinct neighborhoods: Little Italy, Chinatown, and SoHo. Background research, including community interviews and neighborhood studies, was conducted to better understand the needs and priorities of local residents. A recurring theme in this study was the lack of easily accessible green space in the area. This finding became a driving factor in the design, making the integration of green areas a central element of the proposed recreation center’s program.

Design Process

The design for this recreation center draws on two significant architectural precedents. Sverre Fehn’s Hedmark Museum shaped the project’s adaptive reuse strategy, particularly in the sensitive insertion of new elements within an existing framework and the experiential qualities created through circulation. Likewise, Paulo Mendes da Rocha and MMBB Arquitetos’s SESC 24 de Maio Cultural Center informed the spatial organization and movement patterns, providing a vibrant model for configuring open-plan interiors.

Building on these references, Le Corbusier’s Maison Dom-Ino served as a conceptual foundation for exploring open-plan arrangements and modular structural systems. The initial concept was then refined and adapted to the specific characteristics of the site, merging precedent-based strategies with tailored solutions to address circulation, programmatic requirements, and the surrounding urban context.

Final Outcome

Drawing inspiration from the precedent research of Headmark Museum, the existing car ramp of the parking structure is repurposed as a primary circulation path for the proposed recreation center. As well, programmatic elements are carefully inserted into the existing structure with minimal intervention, preserving the original architectural framework.

The programs are located exclusively in the exterior bays, while the central bays of the existing parking structure are removed to create a large atrium for greenery. Central to the design and programmatic layout is the integration of green spaces, which serve as both transitional zones and functional elements, facilitating a dialogue between built form and nature.

A continuous glass façade functions like a greenhouse, with its structure derived from reused existing elements. On the west side, built topography forms a planted zone, with a secondary façade enclosing these green spaces, creating a porous boundary between the interior landscape and the urban sidewalk.

Conclusion: Ultimately, the project transforms the disused federal parking structure into a vibrant recreation center, addressing urgent urban needs for sustainability, accessibility, and green spaces.

[This Academic Project has been published with text and images submitted by the student]