LOCATION
Newark, New Jersey
CLIENT
Newark Housing Authority
TYPE
Civic | Community Center | New Construction
SUSTAINABILITY
Designed to LEED Silver
AWARDS
2020
AIA New York Best in Competition
AIA New York Honor Award
2017
Chicago Athenaeum The American Architecture Awards
Chicago Athenaeum The International Architecture Awards
World Architecture News Longlisted, Education Award
Society of American Registered Architects National Design Award
Society of American Registered Architects-New York Merit Award
Architizer Special Mention Recreation Centers
Engineering News Record (ENR) Best of the Best/Small Project
2014
AIA New Jersey Merit Award
TREC (training, recreation, education center) is a community center and social collector where neighbors gather, exercise, and receive training to improve their chances for gainful employment in a rapidly transforming digital-based economy.
Set between a residential and industrial zone and inspired by the site’s shifted urban grid where it meets Weequahic Park, the building’s form is expressed as two slipping triangles set side by side.
One triangle is solid and contains recreation, fitness, and meditation spaces while the other is transparent, accommodating education and community meeting spaces and conveying a sense of welcome and openness to the community. This luminous container is a beacon of hope and an engaging place for the community to gather, learn, and play.
Marques Lewis
Former TREC Director and Chair of the Newark Board of Education
