Singing Hills RECREATION CENTER

Tucked away in a lush, green landscape yet strategically connected by DART to downtown Dallas, Singing Hills Recreation Center is unique in Dallas. It is designed to be a multigenerational, community-focused facility in a historically underserved neighborhood.

The most interesting aspect of the design is how the building interacts with the surroundings to create functional spaces both inside and around it. A public plaza is envisioned between the DART station and the recreation center for spontaneous social interactions, while the interior spaces capture the view of the landscape through double height openings. The scale of the building blends well with the landscape, while the contrasting use of materials such as black metal and wood reinforces its presence. The overhanging roof of the structure ties the building together as it creates a visual journey for the visitor to experience the spaces.

The design idea of keeping close proximity to DART is an inspiring change for the city of Dallas. There aren’t many public places that can be accessed solely by public transport in the city; Singing Hills Recreation Center hopefully marks the start of many such community centers that o er undiscriminating access to all.

Unmesh Kelkar, Assoc. AIA is a project designer at Corgan.

PROJECT TEAM

OWNER: City of Dallas Park and Recreation Department

SIZE/AREA: 25,000 gross square footage

ARCHITECT: Perkins&Will

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT: Kevin Sloan Studio

CONTRACTOR: J.C.

Commercial Inc., Mart Inc., 3i Contracting LLC

STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: JQ Engineering

MEP ENGINEER: Basharkhah Engineers

CIVIL ENGINEER: Pacheco Koch Consulting Engineers

Zoom Out Photos- James Steinkamp

Zoom in Photos- Unmesh Kelkar, Assoc. AIA