Beatrice Mary Family YMCA Renovation

After forty successful years, Beatrice’s YMCA has outgrown its original building. Sampson was hired to coordinate extensive improvements to keep the existing building useful for the community. The challenge on this project was to make the existing building more accessible, useful, and secure, within the limits of the existing building and narrow land. All this needed to be accomplished while keeping the facility available for community use during the renovation process.

The phased approach began with new public spaces and staff offices. The expanded lobby has been updated to serve as a café-like gathering space for families, youth, and the community while also incorporating additional security considerations. This new public space also includes new multipurpose spaces, an expanded childcare center, and extensive expansion of the wellness area. Front-facing renovations extend outside the building, linking the entrance with an outdoor community porch, including views that permit clear views of the outdoors from within, shaded against the sun.

Wellness amenities include ground-level sports facilities, including racquetball courts, kickboxing classrooms, and a climbing wall. The wellness area is subdivided by using a strategically located service core and assessment office. The expanded swimming area includes larger in-ground poos and increased spectator seating. Second-floor expansions include teaching kitchens for healthy cooking classes and nutritional meals for low-income families. Art studios and other classrooms let the YMCA provide opportunities to the larger community.