The City of Avondale provided us with an opportunity to combine a number of community service programs in one building: The Avondale Senior Center, The Arizona Complete health Avondale Resource Center, and the main office for the Human Services department. It was important to the City of Avondale that upon entry into the building one would not only feel safe and welcome, but also hope. “Our citizens need to leave feeling better then when they walked through these doors.”

The lobby was the spine, the hub, and the connector to all the services offered. It also needed to be the living room, the game room, the library, the kid’s play zone, and prefunction for their large-scale community events. Lastly and most importantly, the lobby and several other functional spaces needed to evoke the spirit of possibilities and promise. Because of this we took advantage of every opportunity to connect to the outside environment no matter the space and function. Upon entry the lobby is naturally lit with a 75’ long skylight and one can see all the way through the building and directly out to the backyard with views of the neighboring mountain range. The senior dining room and multipurpose rooms have an expansive view of the outdoor garden. The classrooms and offices also provide moments of connection to nature.