CONNECTIONS 2023 u

lifelong relationship to nature and getting outdoors. Teens are empowered to recreate outside and learn stress reduction practices through holistic, thematically linked series of field trips. This healing experience is a gateway to improved mental and physical health. We know from the research that this kind of greenspace exposure is associated with numerous health benefits including reduced cortisol levels, reduced blood pressure, HDL cholesterol, and more (Twohig’Bennett, C, and A. Jones, 2018). These results are indicative of the beneficial influence of greenspace on a wide range of health outcomes. Participants graduate from the program with a sense of well-being, as well as tools not only explore nearby nature, but to practice mindfulness and ultimately lead healthier lives.

Through YES! Parks teens also help sustain and steward our natural resources. Over the length of the program the youth learn about nature and environmental challenges in our parks. They subsequently choose and enact a stewardship action designed to enhance parks habitats. This has included beach clean ups, creek clean up’s, invasive plant removal projects, campground improvements projects and more. They have also participated in photography exhibits designed to ignite stewardship of and love for our environment. These projects have led to tangible, on the ground improvements of our park environments.

Excellence in DesignFacility Design

Aquatic Facility Class 3

North Natomas Community Center and Aquatic Complex City of Sacramento

The North Natomas Community Center and Aquatics Complex (NNCCAC) promotes physical, emotional, and mental health and wellness through its focus on aquatic activities and water safety. Through classes, open swim, and competitions, this facility promotes an active lifestyle and a respite to cool off from the hot Sacramento summers. The aquatic center hosts many lifeguard training classes, and as the only 50-meter pool in the City of Sacramento, it hosts swimming programs for all ages including DART swimming club, which offers youth swim team programming for both competitive and recreational swimmers, the Inderkum High School swim team, the Sacramento Masters swim team, and a water-polo program. Additionally, the City partnered with Jibe, a community non-profit organization that promotes car-free activities, to provide all the bike racks to the facility, further promoting active transportation to and from the facility.

This project generated over 1,000 local jobs during construction, and operational employment of City staff and seasonal lifeguards provides an economic stimulus through direct and indirect funding for the community. Large events such as swim meet provide an economic boost to hotel, restaurant and local vendors, and create additional tax revenue to the City. Access to the facilities foster a sense of belonging, and it helps to distinguish the community from others.

The NNCCAC creates memorable experiences for individuals and families through its state-of-the-art facilities and various aquatic programs and events. One of the most iconic pieces of the NNCCAC project is a large art sculpture titled ‘Between the Toes’, designed and installed by artist Terrence Martin of Jagged Edge Metal Art based in West Sacramento. This creates a meeting place within the facility and helps to deliver a sense of placemaking. The 15-foot-high flip flops are indicative of summers at the beach, and give the community the sense that this is a place for fun and activity. This sculpture was integrated into the pool deck to make it a focal point and create interaction and fun for visitors of the facility.

Finally, the North Natomas Community Center and Aquatics Complex supports a safe, vibrant, attractive, and progressive community by providing a modern and well-maintained facility that promotes community engagement and growth, and helps to make the community a better place to live and thrive. Overall, the NNCCAC aims to provide a state-of-the-art facility for recreational and competitive swimming, as well as educational programming, for the entire city of Sacramento.

Community Center / Mixed Use Facility Class 3

Burlingame Community Center Group 4 Architecture, Research + Planning, Inc.

The new zero net energy Burlingame Community Center is a vital and bustling community amenity, providing a broad offering of recreation services and programs for all ages.In planning for a new community center, City staff, stakeholders, and the community worked closely with the design team to assess community needs for recreation services, explore building program concepts, review potential site alternatives, and develop options which best serve the needs of patrons and strengthen the identity of the Burlingame community.

Economic vitality, promoting physical, emotional, and mental health and wellness for all generations, and fostering sustainability were project goals from the onset. The design team and the City produced a comprehensive engagement process which revealed the community’s preferred development option was a new community center in its existing location within Washington Park in the heart of Burlingame. Multigenerational spaces which foster social cohesion and interactivity, including a large community room, dance and fitness spaces, art and maker spaces, and classrooms for flexible use were identified as high priorities, in addition to spaces dedicated to children’s, teen, and senior programming. The new community center reflects the community’s commitment to sustainability and stewardship of natural and cultural resources critical for a vibrant future for all of Burlingame. The community center is zero net energy, powered by rooftop solar panels, and includes a green roof with an emergency backup generator so that the center can be a gathering place during emergency events, and incorporates sustainable finishes and landscaping.

Since opening, the Burlingame Community Center has become an anchor for an active community. The new Community Center was designed to have spaces to connect people, learn new skills, and be physically active and bring the outdoors inside and the inside outdoors. Since its opening, family memories have been created through celebrating weddings, birthdays, celebrations of life, baptisms, and en-