Design Emphasizes Community Engagement
In the first of a two-part EXCLUSIVE, Josh Roden, Brookfield Residential, discusses how homebuyers seek amenities that respond to smart, urban home designs that build relationships.
DUBLIN, CA—The Boulevard community has begun construction of its Rec Center at Sterling Street and Nugget Way. The center will be a social hub reflecting the community’s urban architecture while introducing innovative design concepts.
The approximately 14,500-square-foot facility includes co-working spaces, café, web conference room, demonstration kitchen, resort pool, package lockers and other design concepts. The center is designed by San Francisco-based Group 4 Architecture, Research + Planning, known for architecturally advanced libraries and community centers.
The Boulevard master plan is by Brookfield Residential and Lennar. The master plan serves the demand for new homes in the Bay Area with a planned 1,750 single- and multifamily homes. In the first of a two-part exclusive, Josh Roden, Brookfield Residential division president, discusses how homebuyers seek amenities that respond to urban home designs that embrace the community and build relationships.
GlobeSt.com: Describe the role of the Rec Center and other new amenities in the urban masterplan of Boulevard.
Roden: The Boulevard community design emphasizes community engagement and an artful approach to density within its neighborhoods. This includes pocket parks for multiple uses, pedestrian-friendly streets, an interior trail system, and accessibility to highways 580 and 680, and the Dublin/Pleasanton BART station. After having opened several dynamic neighborhoods, it was a thrill to break ground on the Rec Center, which will further enhance livability at Boulevard. Its attractive range of uses and experiences mirror the diverse energy of Boulevard’s residents and will become the social heart of the community.
GlobeSt.com: What are some of tech-focused the attractions of the Rec Center?
Roden: Set within three larger pavilions–plus a large central interior courtyard–the Rec Center will offer fitness rooms, a game room, a co-working space (named The Loft), conference room, clubhouse, retail café, package lockers, demonstration kitchen, outdoor kitchen, indoor and outdoor lounge spaces, lap and lounge pool with cabanas, firepits and double-sided fireplaces. The entire facility is supplied with WiFi, including the pools and cabanas, and each cabana has AC power. For flex workers, this will make it easy for them to conduct business across all daily locations: office, home and everywhere in the Rec Center.
GlobeSt.com: Architecturally, what is the look and feel of this facility?
Roden: It is like a modern, welcoming resort. It expresses sophistication and clean lines, but also warmth and comfort. The cabanas, the double-sided fireplace, the variety of social spaces, plus the fabrics, furniture and finishes are natural but popping with vibrant colors. and all have a contemporary feel, reflecting a new Bay Area community thriving in proximity to Silicon Valley.