Co-located Facility - Wheaton Library + Community Recreation Center

Wheaton, Maryland

client

Montgomery County

size

92,000 sf

certification

LEED Gold

type

New Construction

stats

Co-Located Facility; Underground Parking

Through a collaborative and fruitful discovery and design process with the county’s design review team, community members, and multiple agency representatives, we were able to design a first-of-its-kind, resilient co-located library and recreation center. The building shares spaces to integrate recreation and library programs into a lively, community building that also houses a children’s library area, maker space, three-bay gymnasium with an elevated track, full-service fitness room, pottery studio, commercial teaching and catering kitchen, senior lounge and computer lab, game room, meeting rooms, social hall, used book store, cafe, and underground parking garage — all under one roof.

Design inspiring gateway architecture that welcomes everyone and celebrates the diversity of Wheaton. Provide environments that are safe, well-lit and inviting. Create gathering spaces that attract community members of all ages and provide access to technology and diverse programming. Encourage interaction between Library + Rec Center users while separating the noisy from the quiet with clear circulation paths. Design an environmentally friendly building and site that maximizes taxpayer’s money. Utilize green space while providing parking and a clear, controlled avenue for traffic.

How does a twenty-first century building engage a diverse population in a meaningful way and provide robust amenities for a County with a shortage of available land to build on? By creatively co-locating “reading, recreation, and parking” under one roof. Wheaton, designated an Arts and Entertainment District, is one of the most diverse neighborhoods in Maryland. The project challenge was to deliver a new state-of-the-art facility to help solve the inequities of outdated facilities and, more importantly, help create a community hub that fosters inclusion, equity and diversity.