Sunset Park Pavilions
The Pavilions at the Sunset Park Recreation Center were designed and built in 2014 by Parsons Design Workshop. Prior to the addition of the new structures most spaces in the Center were not available during the summer months since they were used to serve the hundreds of daily pool users. The new locker and changing rooms constructed on the pool deck freed up close to 10,000 square feet of programed indoor recreation space, thus providing greater access to a divers and underserved community.
The Sunset Park Pool and Recreation Center is a Works Progress Administrations (WPA)-era facility that first opened in 1936. It was the first of four public pools in Brooklyn, and eleventh total throughout New York City, constructed by then Parks Commissioner Robert Moses. It eventually fell into disrepair, with only minor renovations undertaken in 1984, but without significant upgrades since then. The Rec Center was declared a New York City Landmark in 2007.
The two pavilions, one each for men and women, are equipped with lockers and individual family changing rooms. The colors and rhythms in the existing landmark-building facade were inspiration for the rhythm of the walls and the structural layout of the roof. The structures were positioned to ensuring that light still reaches the recreation center interior while leaving ample room on the deck. The white cedar clad pavilion walls complement the Recreation Center while adding a new dimension and greater access to a historic site. The translucent polycarbonate roof panels provide ample daylight and make up a lightweight roofing system supported by a hybrid wood and metal structure that is independent of the interior partitions.
Valuing the positive features of the building, while also considering the current needs of the community, the students worked with the parks personnel, community, and city agencies to creatively and economically transform the site to function as a year-round, 21st Century recreation and aquatics center.
Images and Plans
