Williamsburg Community Center
Brooklyn
Pasanella + Klein Stolzman + Berg Architects

From sports to weddings, this community center meets a multitude of needs

© Paul Warchol

For more photos click on 'photos & drawings' above. To see the people and products behind this project click on 'people & products.'

Designed to serve neighborhood children, youth, and adults for everyday use and special events, the Williamsburg Community Center has a varied program. It houses a gymnasium, dance studio, classrooms, art studios, darkroom, computer room, movie projection screen, stage, recording studio, and other multipurpose spaces for neighborhood use. In addition to the recreational areas, the facility also features a commercial kitchen offering lunches to senior citizens year-round and school children during summer months. This attribute makes the center a rental venue for weddings or other catered events.

The structure is composed of a series of pavilions that extend out from the large central space to engage the park site. These pavilions give the building an intimate, approachable scale and integrate it with the life of the park and the neighborhood. As a security precaution, the center’s siting and configuration allow for partial or complete enclosure at any time, while transparent and semitransparent walls provide a visual connection between inside and out, giving the inhabitants a sense of control. Here, material choices soften the boundary between the building’s interior and exterior, making it a lively and inviting connection to the neighborhood. Indoors, the architects utilized large, operable garage-like doors and moveable partitions to create flexible program spaces.

Built by the New York City Housing Authority as part of their program to renovate 24 residential buildings near the site, this community center mimics its park setting, creating a sense of openness without compromising security. Its programmatic diversity and flexibility engage a similarly diverse neighborhood community.

Formal name of Project:
Williamsburg Community Center

Location:
Brooklyn

Gross square footage:
20,500 sq. ft.

Total construction cost:
$6 million

Owner:
New York City Housing Authority

Architect:
Pasanella + Klein Stolzman + Berg Architects, P.C.
330 West 42nd Street
New York, NY 10036
212.594.2010 phone
212.947.4381 fax