14th St Y

The renovated 14 Street Y celebrates the diversity of the institution's multi-generational, multi-ethnic membership. The ground floor program of lobby, fitness center, locker rooms, offices, showers and pool was reorganized as a series of parallel bands, each with its own identity. As members move through the different bands, they experience the simultaneous happenings that animate the building. By using off-the-shelf materials in unconventional ways, the designers created a unique design within a limited budget. Fields of fluorescent light fixtures of different sizes redraw the ceiling, while bands of colored tiles reconfigure the floor plane. The new entrance lobby has a gradient blue custom pattern cement tile floor, a field of circular fluorescent lights, and bright yellow 100% recycled plastic lounge furniture. The overall effect is raw and fresh and befitting the Y's East Village location.

The design celebrates the biggest asset of the Y as a community facility; its diverse, multi generational user base. The identity of each programmatic space was enhanced, expressing multiplicity rather than institutional uniformity. The entry lobby, fitness center, locker rooms, studios, offices showers and pool are organized as a series of parallel bands. As members move through the different bands, they experience the immediacy of the simultaneous happenings that animate the building. The distinct character of the bands enables the modularity of the scheme, where one program space can be replaced by another (like slots in a computer) without compromising the integrity of the design. By using off-the-shelf materials in unconventional ways, the designers created unique spaces within a limited budget. Fields of fluorescent light fixtures of different sizes redraw the ceiling while bands of colored tiles reconfigure the floor plane. The new entrance lobby has a gradient blue custom pattern cement tile floor, a field of circular fluorescent lights, and bright yellow 100% recycled plastic lounge furniture. The new design reflects the Y as an anchor for the cultural diversity that defines its East Village community.