Arnold Rue Community Center
City of Stockton, California
Located in an existing neighborhood on the northeast side of Stockton, the new 21,000 square-foot Arnold Rue Community Center provides a focal point for neighborhood interaction and unity. The Center’s “barnlike” theme pays homage to Stockton’s agricultural heritage, meeting the City of Stockton’s requirements for a facility that is visually interesting and constructed from durable, easy-maintenance materials.
The Center features a number of dedicated-purpose rooms, including a “virtual” library, an arts and crafts room, a dance facility, a full gymnasium, and a police sub-station. The structure also incorporates a number of multi-purpose rooms that can be rented for community or business meetings.
A central reading/art gallery greets visitors and creates the central spine for the structure’s radiating interior spaces. The use of steel framed “garage doors” as operable walls in the main multi-purpose room permits attendee overflow to the exterior and creates a connection to the outdoor areas of the Center.
One of the Center’s largest spaces is its 80- by 110-foot gymnasium which incorporated a pre-engineered metal building frame to accomplish the clear-span requirements at minimal cost. The result of this approach is a dramatic and functional space that was delivered under budget by hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The Center makes extensive use of durable metal materials, including primary framing, steel studs, recycled metal siding, and exposed structural trusses made from standard tube shapes. Metal laminate was used on casework to give the reception counter a unique look and feel. Environmental features include clerestory windows and skylights to provide daylight illumination, occupancy sensors to moderate electrical consumption, a reflective “cool” roof to minimize solar gain, and storm-water filtration.
This project earned an Award for Excellence in Design from the American Institute of Architects and an Award of Excellence from the City of Stockton.
