Youth and the organization

A Youth Center serves the dual purpose of accommodating unstructured social interaction among different age groups and providing instructional classes�all in a safe, supervised environment. This drives the facility layout and functional space adjacencies.

Sample adjacency diagram for a youth center.
Developed by DMJM Design, Arlington, VA

Typical Youth Center activity spaces include the following:

• Control desk/check-in
• Commons/game room
• Snack bar
• Activity rooms/classrooms
• Multipurpose room/gymnasium
• Computer room
• Teen room and
• Outdoor activity areas.

Typical Youth Center support spaces include the following:

• Administrative office space
• Toilets and janitor facilities
• Kitchen and
• Mechanical/electrical/communications space.

It is particularly effective to organize the activity spaces around the Commons—making it the heart of the program area around which the other program spaces revolve. The Commons area is the principal social gathering point and fulfills many of the social interaction goals of the facility. It usually includes subareas such as a game area, an eating area (adjacent to the snack bar), a television (TV) viewing area, and general gathering/conversation spaces. These subareas should accommodate social units of 12 to 15 youth gathering in pockets.

The Commons should naturally "grow" out of the lobby, past the control desk. The control desk should have visual control over the entire Commons and any entrances to other spaces. The entrances to the other activity spaces should be well defined and act as portals to those areas.

The snack bar can range from self-service vending stations to a full-service hot bar with an adjacent teaching kitchen that also serves an instructional function. It should be adjacent to an eating area in the Commons.

The activity rooms can range from small classroom spaces to a full-sized gymnasium, depending on facility mission, programs offered, and available budget. Typically at least two activity rooms should be provided: one configured for more academic or arts and crafts instruction and one configured for physical activities.