Los Angeles, California, USA

Renovated and expanded by BA Collective, the BAR Center is an intergenerational community center that provides wellness and congregational spaces for senior citizens and young adults.

For its unique design, the project has recently been awarded a 2023 American Architecture Award by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.

Located on a corner site along the Venice Beach boardwalk, the design creates a highly visible, inviting, and accessible community space.

The original 1923 dance hall building sustained extensive damage during the 1994 Northridge earthquake requiring the removal of the second story.

The remaining single-story stucco and block building was functionally obsolete with limited accessibility.

The renovation reorganizes the ground floor to include a lobby and community room for concerts and cultural events.

The re-instated second floor has multipurpose classrooms, a multimedia library, offices, and an outdoor terrace used for informal gatherings and special events.

The new third floor includes a three-bedroom apartment for recent college graduates who live on-site and lead community programs.

The façade balances openness and security by transitioning from an opaque block elevation to a transparent curtain wall facing toward the ocean.

A geometric motif based on an abstraction of the Star of David references its historic community origins and was developed into a metal panel system that wraps around the building and attaches to the existing structure.

The panels are coated with anti-graffiti paint that allows for easy repair or replacement.

Along the building’s west side, the screen frames the recessed entry made of Jerusalem stone.

At the building’s southwest corner, the screen lifts to maximize natural light and views between the multipurpose community room and the boardwalk.

Project: BAR Intergenerational Community Center
Architects: BA Collective
Lead Architects: Hagy Belzberg, Jennifer Wu, and Lindsey Sherman Contento
Design Team: Barry Gartin, Kristofer Leese, Ashley Coon, Joshua Hanley, Jessica Hong, Jenny Fontenot, Alexis Roohani, Chris Sanford, Corie Saxman
General Contractor: Del Amo Construction, Inc.
Client’s Representative: Mathews Development Group
Client: The Jewish Federation
Photographers: Art Gray