Northeast Bronx YMCA, Bronx, New York, USA | 2021

Architects: Marvel (Marvel Architects, Landscape Architects, Urban Designers, PLLC.)
Design Team: Jonathan Marvel, Lissa So, Martha Bush, JS Yong, Justine Ala, and Yadiel Rivera-Díaz
General Contractor: Gilbane
Client: YMCA of Greater New York
Photographers: Scott Frances

In this underserved part of the Bronx, there are only 3.1 acres of parks and playgrounds per 1,000 children, far below the citywide average of 13.3 acres. The new 52,000-square-foot Northeast Bronx YMCA addresses the critical need for recreational space, fulfilling a 30-year dream of the community for a multigenerational community center and hub.

Developed in partnership with a broad coalition of community leaders and elected officials, it is a powerful reminder of the good that can come when the leaders, institutions, and community work together. A modern day YMCA is at once a recreation center, a fitness center, and most importantly, a community hub providing access to the wide array of educational, social, and health programs the Y offers to New Yorkers of all ages and of any income level.

The NE Bronx YMCA has an aquatic center with a lap pool and a family pool, a gymnasium, wellness center, and a suite of subdividable multipurpose rooms for classes, summer camp, and afterschool programs. Set on what was a wooded 3-acre site, the building program is organized into three separate pavilions placed gently on the site, all while preserving existing mature trees and respecting the natural sloped topography.

Their arrangement is a gesture of openness and transparency, as if the building was welcoming you in a warm embrace. The three pavilions are interlinked by a glass corridor, with windows placed to augment lines of sight, offering a connection to the outside wherever you are in the building, as well as incorporating natural daylighting to the interior spaces. This directly reflects the YMCA’s core values of openness and inclusivity.

The material choices emphasize a palette inspired by the natural landscape of the Bronx. The main pavilions are clad with weathering steel which naturally age with time, growing with the community. Natural wood ceilings at the lobby and circulation paths reference a connection to the landscape.

The design seeks solutions that emphasize aesthetic grace and architectural delight, while balancing the functional durability required of a high traffic commercial facility. Of note, the pool design utilizes glulam beams for both their beauty and resistance to corrosion. Bulky ducts characteristic of indoor natatoriums are replaced with a unique solution of wall-mounted fabric ducts, so the ceiling design is pleasing and enhances the experience of the swimmer.

A holistic approach to sustainability was key to the design, with the project designed to achieve LEED v4 Gold certification. Given the extended opening hours and heating demands of the pool, reducing energy use and optimizing building mechanicals was a top priority. A whole building energy simulation was performed to track energy targets and used to make balanced design decisions. A cogeneration plant produces electricity on site and recycles waste heat for the swimming pool.

The result is a building that is expected to reduce annual site energy consumption by 33% compared to the ASHRAE 90.1-2010 baseline, achieving 18 out of 18 points of the LEED Energy Optimization (EAc4) credit.