Van Buskirk Community Center
Stockton, California

Sited in and serving the needs a lower-income neighborhood, Stockton’s 18,000 square-foot Van Buskirk Community Center provides a focal point for community interaction and unity.

Using program inputs gathered during neighborhood meetings, LDA Partners developed plans to completely renovate the original 1960s structure and to incorporate a new addition.

One of the primary goals of the renovation was to add space for a new gymnasium and fitness rooms. To achieve the long spans required for the gym while maintaining cost efficiencies in both materials and construction, LDA Partners specified a pre-engineered steel structure for the addition.

To create visual interest to the space and to break down the mass of the large form, a combination of concrete masonry and metal siding was selected for the exterior palette. The tapered columns of the pre-engineered building were turned to the exterior, giving the building a “slanted” form and adding visual interest. A “flying wing” canopy creates a shaded area for a children’s amphitheater and identifies a secondary entrance. A smaller wing, also framed with a pre-engineered steel structure and clad with metal siding, was added to house restrooms, storage space and a weight room. Differing panel profiles and colors add visual interest and help define the masses of the building.