With 2,650 YMCA locations serving 11 million network members in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, there are understandably significant gaps between facility design and the YMCA’s programming approach. other. According to David Martorano, vice president of Thriving Ys, YMCA of the United States, there are no needs from Y-USA headquarters in Chicago about what a Y looks like or how it works.
Instead, the Y-USA Member Qualification and Certification Division is initiating a procedure that all local Ys will be required to follow. This procedure includes conducting a site investigation to determine whether a new Y facility is feasible and sustainable, while ensuring that the new location does not cannibalize the market share of a neighboring Y facility and, in fact, benefits from the everyone’s approval. neighboring Ys. Array Y-USA recommends the most and is what Martorano calls a critical capital avenue for new Ys.
“This adventure includes things like network desires and feasibility studies,” he says. “These elements inform Ys about the programmatic elements that are most needed at this specific location, ranging from youth progression programs, housing, food distribution, childcare. , organizational exercises, functional fitness, gym space, water sports, and more. Y-USA also offers similar resources to architecture or interior design, as well as accessibility standards.
Given how individual other Millennials can be, AB asked Y-USA to point us to established locations that had an undeniable “wow factor. “The Y leaders then explained to us, in their own words, why they believed their amenities and systems would be to achieve this point of respect in the eyes of Y-USA.
Here’s what we learned.
Photo via Damian Byington
Salem, Oregon. Tim Sinatra, Chairman and CEO
The Family YMCA of Marion and Polk Counties recently rebuilt its flagship facility named after our local network leaders, Dick and Gayle Withnell. This new facility is designed as a place for everyone, designed to serve as a networking hub where Americans – regardless of age, ability, ethnicity or socioeconomic prestige – can come together to promote well-being and social cohesion. No matter where you are in the building, you will be able to see 3 other areas, creating a sense of network and security. The structure is fully accessible, with features such as ramps, elevators, gym lines with an express color palette for others who may be color blind, and adaptive devices to ensure that everyone, including other people with disabilities, can navigate and use the area. comfortably. .
The facility’s flexible design allows it to meet the varied desires of the community, adding fitness categories for other age groups, cultural and recreational activities, and educational workshops focused on fitness, money literacy, and homework skills. Special projects are being implemented to have interaction. marginalized groups, such as at-risk youth, the elderly, and refugees, providing them with resources and support systems to thrive. Incorporating a social impact approach, the facility aims to solve broader social problems related to stability, health, and well-being. -be.
Environmental sustainability is also a primary concern. Building energy-efficient systems emphasizes the YMCA’s commitment to environmental stewardship.
Overall, this YMCA is a colorful networking hub that empowers people, creates connections, and promotes a healthier, more inclusive society.
The partnership between Withnell Family YMCA and the Salem Keizer School District is one of inclusion and compassion, making a significant impact on the lives of youth with disabilities. By offering access to physiotherapy in the warm and welcoming environment of Con Aquatic Centre, we not only provide an important service, but also foster a sense of belonging and empowerment within our community.
The resolution of the water temperature to 86 degrees demonstrates the YMCA’s commitment to satisfying the expressed desires of other physically challenged individuals, ensuring their comfort and protection while engaging in favorable activities. This temperature regulation promotes relaxation, relieves muscle tension and improves mobility, facilitating more effective physiotherapy sessions.
Photo via 365 Creative Co.
This program goes beyond physical benefits. This creates a supportive environment where Americans of all talents can come together, fostering social connections. Through shared reports in our inclusive aquatic programming, participants forge friendships, build confidence, and gain a sense of accomplishment, contributing to their overall well-being and quality of life.
In addition, special attention has been paid to the construction design to ensure the inclusion of everything. From wider doors and spacious layouts to available showers and convertible benches, each and every detail has been deliberately planned to meet needs.
This inclusive approach to facility design not only complements the experience of those who use our aquatic treatment program, but also sends a strong message of acceptance and equality. This demonstrates our confidence that everyone deserves resources and quality opportunities for physical activity and wellness. , regardless of your ability.
Oskaloosa, Iowa Barry Martin, President and CEO
A variety of possible design options emphasize flexibility in scheduling Mahaska YMCA locations. Multi-purpose spaces maximize the diversity of formulas presented in a single space. In addition to the seemingly maximum gym curtains and folding glass walls, a comfortable cutting-edge wall partition formula can divide the gross motor skills room into 3 child-friendly spaces, and an industrial-designed glass garage door in the intergenerational room can be used as a convertible wall. All of those features combine to make the most of one and both spaces. The Early Childhood Center’s 21 study rooms are packed with cutting-edge designs, adding double study rooms separated by easy-to-supervise shared bathrooms, FF
Design considerations also increase the number of appliances and amenities within the facility. All of Matrix Fitness’ new floor-standing wellness equipment fits perfectly into an open floor plan subtly divided into separate zones for equipment, cardio, loose weights and functional fitness. There are organization training studios and a dedicated cycling studio, all with 24-hour member access.
Designers worked directly with operators to create a welcoming and functional domain within the 88,000-square-foot facility. This collaborative technique provided a variety of possible minor touches that made a big difference in the ability of the programming domains. For example, a folding glass wall between an organization’s exercise studio and the Queenax domain allows the wall to be opened for functional fitness categories or closed for aerobic categories. The oversized gym is equipped with LED lighting fixtures from Musco Sports Lighting, adding Musco’s Show-Light Entertainment package to give young athletes the same game day experience as the professionals, with multi-color light displays choreographed with music. rumble! Behind the scenes, the mechanics are also high-tech, with software control of smoothing (Musco Control-Link), HVAC (Johnson Controls) and room reservation panels synchronized with MS Outlook calendars (Extron).
Photos via Mark Borosch Photography
St. Petersburg, FloridaDavid Jezek, President and CEO
The combination of the Speer YMCA and the public school is only the third of its kind in the United States and the first in the Tampa Bay area. People come from all over the country to see what was created here and we are proud to share it.
The long-standing partnership between the YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg and Pinellas County Schools puts us in an exclusive position to paint in combination to meet the desires of netpaintings while also addressing the underutilization of services in a region where land becomes rarer and more valuable. When the school day is over and spaces are available, the YMCA can set up key spaces for members to use in the evenings, weekends, and summer months.
A cutting-edge collaboration, two organizations, and two architects combined with a shared vision to maximize a more productive use of our resources and build smarter. Designed with the network in mind, the commission is a joint venture between WJ Architects and Harvard Jolly | PBK and built through Creative Contractors.
The joint campus of the Speer YMCA and Mangrove Bay Middle School contains a two-story building of 111,757 square feet, of which only about 30,000 square feet will pivot between the YMCA and the school, adding the multimedia center, dining hall, gymnasium, culinary center. center, sports field, track and garden.
The venue’s aquatic center includes an eight-lane, 25-meter festival pool, a separate warm-water instructional pool, a children’s pool, a children’s play area, and a terrace for relaxing.
The association aims to promote a healthy body and brain life, from birth, through school and into adulthood.
A fitness and wellness-loving school, Mangrove Bay Middle School is home to an art center, a music/band room, and more than a dozen study rooms offering electives aligned with the YMCA’s impact on the domains. : youth development. , physical life and social responsibility. The YMCA includes spaces designed to meet a wide diversity of network needs, adding an aquatic center, a first-floor exercise studio with easier access for seniors in the morning, and dance rehearsals in the afternoon. a generation laboratory, an on-site children’s area, a nursery, a fitness area on the upper floor, an aerobics and weight education area, an outdoor wellness terrace. . .
Under one roof, the two amenities and shared spaces are connected through a central column called “The Link. “This common middle domain of the media is the connector and the security point from which all the spaces of the program branch out. During school hours, the YMCA’s doors to the Media Center are closed under staff supervision. After hours and special programs, YMCA members have access to some shared domains.
The new construction is a Green Globe-rated construction on a complex site where wetlands occupy a giant portion of the site’s boundaries. Despite the limitations, the implementation plan manages to maintain the façade of the two entities. Wetlands, typhoon ponds and landscaping provide a buffer zone for the community and concentrate activities in the centre of the site.
Legat Architects Photos
Ottawa, Illinois Joe Capece, President and CEO
The new Ottawa YMCA, the brainchild of many partners, strengthens the fitness of its community. The organization focuses on fitness equity and providing fitness and wellness to those who want it most.
Evidence-based prevention systems link clinical care with the promotion of fitness and chronic disease prevention systems in an enabling environment. Patients are referred to those systems by healthcare providers, who are guided through qualified fitness trainers and consultants toward fitness lifestyle changes.
In 2018, the YMCA of Ottawa gained approval to offer Enhance®Fitness, an evidence-based organizational training program for seniors with demanding movement situations and arthritis. This elegance is identified through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other national organizations that promote the fitness of older adults.
In 2020, the Ottawa Y overcame challenging COVID-19 situations to offer its newly branded diabetes prevention categories virtually. Shortly after, LIVESTRONG® joined in assisting cancer survivors. Also in 2020, the Ottawa YMCA signed an agreement with OSF HealthCare Saint Elizabeth Medical Center as a spouse at the new facility, with OSF renting an area for patients’ physical therapy needs. Healthy Kids U was incorporated into the YMCA’s child care programs, and OSF provides the framework.
A passionate YMCA worker helped launch Rock Steady Boxing in 2022 for Parkinson’s patients. This year, the YMCA of Ottawa will launch a blood pressure monitoring program to improve network health. All of these systems are flexible for members and scholarships can be obtained for those who wish them.
Stroke Wellness will be Ottawa Y’s latest offering this fall.
Encompassing its entire community, the Ottawa Y emphasizes wellness, offers picturesque perspectives of the Illinois and Fox Rivers, and will pay homage to downtown Ottawa. The main front, along with a secondary front overlooking an adjacent park, leads members and citizens to a non-unusual public place that adds a “living room” with a double-sided fireplace. A full glass wall showcases the aquatic center, which features a festival pool, therapy/activity pool, and playground. The public building also has a religious chapel, assembly hall and baths.
The backbone of the building culminates in the wellness center, where floor-to-ceiling windows offer the aforementioned river perspectives. Additionally, triangular bracing, visible through the glass at night, not only supports the structure, but will also pay homage to Ottawa’s historic railway bridge over the Illinois River. A suspended walking/jogging track overlooking the wellness center and gym amplifies the power and openness of the facility.
Two indoor study spaces can host organizational exercises and cycling activities, and a rooftop studio allows visitors to enjoy the river breeze while exercising outdoors. The Y also houses a child supervision room, organization rooms and a multipurpose room with a demonstration kitchen to teach how to prepare healthy dishes. Functional walls subdivide organizational and multi-purpose rooms to maximize flexibility.
The building’s external design nods to Ottawa’s quaint architectural character. The buildings in the center encouraged the variety of colors of the façade materials, adding the limestone color of the precast concrete wall panels and the terracotta-colored steel panels.
The creation of the Ottawa YMCA was made imaginable thanks to the generosity of many donors. The chapel’s stained glass window, for example, was designed by a local artist at the request of a donor. Another donation resulted in the bronze statue at the main entrance. It depicts young people making the famous “YMCA” gesture with their arms.