Sitting atop the former Kingsdale Lazarus site, the new, five-story community center is much more than just that. In addition to the gymnasiums, track, fitness rooms, indoor pool + locker rooms, it will have a multi-purpose event + meeting space, child watch, e-sports rooms, outdoor terrace off of the second level, and leasable office space. The center also replaces the local community senior center with expanded dedicated space.

Post-tensioned concrete was selected for vibration performance, exposed structure aesthetic appeal, inherent fire rating + to minimize structure depth. The tight site required the building to cantilever over the exterior sidewalks on two sides to fit the gym above. The varied programming wasn’t conducive to a consistent column grid; post-tensioned transfer beams were designed for coordination of column locations with the use of each floor.

When economic challenges threatened the project, Schaefer participated in value engineering for a more efficient structure that still met owner goals.