The Gualala Community Center was founded in 1954 by a group of volunteers. In February 2023, the town’s beloved building was destroyed by arson fire. The Community Center was an important public place that held events, meetings, lunches for Seniors, crab feeds, donation drives, and so much more. Figure worked closely with the Board of Directors and the Rebuild Committee to learn about their needs and desires for the new facility.
Mendocino County is made up of an existing network of community centers along the coast, where the dominant coastal vernacular is the gable roof structure. The new proposal plays homage to the former gable structure while capitalizing on the site’s beautiful views and landscape. The center consists of two distinct volumes: a pitched hall and a low rectangular bar building. A daylit gallery emerges at the intersection of these two buildings, creating the main circulation artery for the center.
Given the diverse range of event types, the main hall was designed to be functional and flexible, able to accommodate small, medium and large gatherings. The hall has the ability to expand and contract with a demountable partition wall and engage with the exterior with large sliding glass doors. The new exterior landscape expands the community’s opportunity to gather for weekend farmers markets, donation drives and sales, and other outdoor activities.
Location: Gualala, CA
Client: Gualala Community Center Board of Directors
Year: 2023 - current
Type: Cultural
Size: 7,490 sf
Status: In Development
Team: Figure (Architect) with Vincent Lai and Despoina Papadopoulou, Terremoto (Landscape Architect), Huffman Engineering & Surveying (Civil Engineers), Reese & Associates (Geotechnical Engineers), Ware Associates (Structural Designers), MHC Engineering (MEP Engineers), and Cosine (Lighting Designer), Loisos + Ubbelohde (Daylighting Consultants), Ballinger Restaurant Equipment, Inc. (Kitchen Consultant)
Press: The Architect’s Newspaper