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Medical office waiting room with modern fixture suspended from ceiling, wooden accent wall dividing seating area and desk area
Joy Evans Therapeutic Recreation Center

Recreation for the Whole Spectrum of Ability

Project Location

Washington, D.C.

Area

37,000 SF

Certifications

Designed to meet LEED Silver BD+C (pending cert.)

Unique Spaces

Natatorium and sensory room

Our team was hired by the District of Columbia鈥檚 Department of General Services and Department of Parks and Recreation to replace an outdated 1970s-era building with a recreation center for people of all abilities. The new design opens to the surrounding natural landscape, offering views to the outdoors and symbolically conjoining interior and exterior with natural materials. The building鈥檚 massing uses recesses to create a rhythm along the fa莽ade while scaling down the size and length of the building. The curved ceilings in the corridor and lobby funnel sunlight from the clerestory, bringing natural light into the spaces and minimizing the use of artificial lights. Sloping roofs with deep overhangs provide solar protection and reduce the visual height of the building to better integrate it within the Ward 7 neighborhood.

The 37,000 SF recreation center includes an indoor natatorium with a warm water therapy pool and spa, gymnasium, a wellness studio, sensory and play therapy rooms, fully accessible playgrounds, and sensory and community garden connected by a network of trails throughout the site.听

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Connection to our Bodies, Connection to Nature

Recreation is a way of connecting to and enjoying the body a person has; and the therapeutic value of connecting to oneself is heightened when situated within the larger context of a connection with nature. Joy Evans focuses on both that primary self-connection and the connection of self to nature.



Connection to our Bodies, Connection to Nature

01
Nature

Connection and Sustainability

Our team's design maximizes the therapeutic benefits of nature by taking full advantage of the National Park Service鈥檚 nearby wooded stream valley. Offering abundant opportunities for human-nature interaction, the site is flanked to its west and north by woodlands. Along with connection to nature, the center is committed to sustainability. New plantings are 100% native and/or adaptive species. The site hosts a variety of plantings that provide acoustical buffering on the west side of the site from the nearby highway, and a pollinator garden.

Modern, angular building with a slanted metal roof and large glass windows surrounded by lush landscaping at sunset
02
Body

Inclusion and Accessibility

Designed for multigenerational inclusivity and accessibility, users of all physical and cognitive abilities will find enjoyment, wellness, and community within the center鈥檚 program spaces. The design also fosters a culture of inclusive social interaction and dignified, healthy living for all ages and abilities. There are a variety of spaces to accommodate small and large group programming, for active and passive recreation.

Indoor basketball court with hoops suspended from the ceiling filled with people playing basketball.

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