Teen Center in Boston Blurs the Work-Play Boundary

With younger generations joining the workforce, there has been much discussion and research into how those younger workers are influencing the physical workspace. But what about the reverse?

The Architectural Team, a master planning and design firm specializing in adaptive reuse and urban revitalization, recently announced the completion of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston‘s Mattapan Teen Center, located in the Mattapan neighborhood of Boston. The design concept applies workplace principles to a space geared toward the time teens spend outside school, and the resulting space looks a lot like a really fun office.

The 7,200 square foot project transformed a decommissioned public library, which the firm designed and built into a space that aims to support the social, emotional and cognitive abilities of youth in a safe, contemporary, technology-rich environment.

Originally built in the 1920s as a public works project, the former Mattapan Library had been closed since 2009. Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston purchased the library building after studying neighborhoods in Boston that needed outreach programs serving young people, particularly those in the 13 to 18 year-old age group, and soon after engaged the Architectural Team to repurpose the space.

The Architectural Team’s design explores the work-play dynamic – something that interior designers have been executing in adult workplaces for some time, now filtered through a new light; it’s a vibrant atmosphere that promotes engagement, participation, and a sense of ownership for 100-125 teenagers living in the area. The space is yet another example of the “all-inclusive” amenities mindset that many companies are investing in to attract talent.

The Center serves a unique role in the community: a space outside the traditional school environment for teenage children to do constructive things. This project falls well outside of the bounds of the educational sector of interior design; rather, it straddles the line between structured learning, work (what? pretend work?!), life skills development, and play.

“We had many conversations about how teens interact on a social level and the types of spaces they want to be in,” said Mark Rosenshein, LEED AP, senior project manager with the Architectural Team. It was critical for the staff to be able to attract teens and get them to come into the space in the first place, because the surrounding area is a very rough neighborhood with gang violence and other issues.

“Teens more than anyone know what’s hip and current, and we did not want the space to function or feel like a school. We know that teens gravitate toward lounge areas – those very comfortable spaces that didn’t feel like a classroom.”

The primary goal of providing integration between work, study, music and entertainment, guided the design. Amenities within the space include an 80-seat multipurpose performance center equipped with movable chairs and stage platform, a music studio with a performance/rehearsal room and an adjacent acoustically isolated recording booth. A computer lab, education room, and kitchen and culinary learning center round out the programming.

Another curious similarity to adult workplaces was the design team’s careful consideration of the dynamic among transparency, privacy and supervision. In this case, ease of supervision was absolutely critical due to the teen demographic. Mr. Rosenshein noted that one of the main challenges of the project was in managing the acoustics.

“We wanted to stop sound from travelling, but also maximize the opportunity to supervise. We played with the programming a lot in this respect, and one of the solutions we came up with was to use a random pattern of windows on one wall that gives a sense of privacy while still enabling the staff to supervise.”

Transparency throughout the space is subtle, yet direct at the same time. All of the separate areas, adjacent to the main lobby in a plus-sign configuration, are visible from the lobby through glass windows, doors or partitions. Additionally, the soundproof recording room is visible through acoustically rated glass.

“Solid walls might make sense for a library,” said Mr. Rosenshein, in the project description. “But we wanted to promote activity and interaction, instead of separation and quiet. That meant inserting windows and replacing opaque walls with glass or openings, whenever and wherever possible. The design allows for organized instructional programs and supports opportunities for unstructured activities as well.”

Other playful aspects of the aesthetics reinforce the youth-oriented purposes of the space. For example, each programmed space has a different color theme: the music suite in yellow and blue, education rooms in purple, common lounges in teal, and performance space in magenta.

“This historic building had a tremendous amount of integrity in the community, in its previous life as a library,” said Mr. Rosenshein. “We thought, ‘Let’s be very respectful of the historical elements, and then be very clear about what’s new in the space.”

To that end, the team preserved and restored details such as the original plaster ceilings and windows, while using a bright color palette and structural features like booth and bar-style seating to establish a contemporary feel.

Setting aside the design plan, layout, aesthetics, etc., the project also demonstrates the practices interior design firms can adopt to form commitments to inclusivity and community.

The ongoing partnership between The Architectural Team and Boys & Girls Clubs (the firm has designed five previous Boys & Girls Clubs) also yielded an unusually community-focused development process. The Architectural Team worked with Josh Kraft, Nicholas president and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston, and consultancy Janey Company to focus on hiring locally, as well as hiring as many minority and women-owned businesses as possible among the contractors and laborers.

More than 85% of the people who worked on the project were either women or of color, or both, and nearly all of the labor and contractors were local. In addition, much of the furniture was either built or provided by the Furniture Trust, a nonprofit that connects donated office furnishings with local schools and nonprofits.

“These kinds of hiring benchmarks are often an afterthought, but we made it a major goal of the project,” said Mr. Rosenshein. “In addition to providing a boost for the local economy, the hiring benchmarks for locals, women and minorities created momentum within the community for the project.”

The project description elaborates: “Perhaps most importantly, the benchmarks have had a residual effect: by including people in the development who would benefit directly or indirectly from the project, the community feels overall that the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston’s Mattapan Teen Center truly belongs to them, an echo of the ownership that the teens who use the facility are meant to enjoy.”

As our cities become larger and more populated, urban renewal and neighborhood revitalization achieved through adaptive reuse, sustainable building and historic preservation, will become ever more critical.

Firms such as the Architectural Team have made this cause their main pursuit, employing planning and design strategies that have developers taking a second look at urban districts and small cities long considered too challenging for redevelopment. Through the past 45 years, the firm has positioned itself as a go-to design firm in the Northeast for non-profits and developers seeking opportunities to revitalize these communities in terms of livability and financial stability. Who will follow suit?