Graham Baba Architects recently completed The Hangar at Kenmore Town Green. The 4,600-square-foot Hangar and 24,000-square-foot Town Green provide a year-round focal point and a symbolic living room for the city. Located in the heart of downtown, the complex touches upon the primal notions of gathering, creating a venue for passive and active recreation while ensuring a home for nature in the rapidly growing community.
The Hangar, conceived as a pavilion, is designed to morph depending upon weather or functional requirements. Simple and large, the space opens to the Town Square via a 24-foot-wide by 16-foot-tall bi-fold window wall. When open, the large roof overhang provides protection from rain and sun, and enables parents easy access to their kids playing in the adjacent plaza. The plaza features a fountain and heated rocks to encourage people to linger in inclement weather. The inverted roof lifts up from the building to gesture toward the park and adjacent thoroughfare, with the residual gap between building and roof becoming a dramatic clerestory. At night, the extensive glazing transforms the shelter into a lantern.
Inside, the structure includes a partitionable, multi-use assembly space for public gatherings, music performances, dance classes, movies, and more. Wood cabinetry lockers are integrated into the space to provide storage for community groups and activities such as yoga, club meetings, etc. The facility includes a see-through, double-sided fireplace and hearth composed of concrete, mild steel and milestone. The polished concrete floor is hydronically heated and, paired with the operable window walls and super-sized building fan, ensures a comfortable building environment throughout the year. Simple, durable low-maintenance materials include exposed plywood SIP panels, steel structural beams and columns, clear cedar siding, aluminum storefront windows, and a standing seam metal roof. Provisions for a cafe and a small bakery were incorporated into the design.
Photography: Andrew Pogue