New Burlingame Community Center displays Group 4 approach to sustainable and inclusive design 

Sensitively integrated into Washington Park, the new 36,000 SF Burlingame Community Center replaced an aging facility at the same site. Ecologically thoughtful site design was one part of the project’s ambitiously sustainable approach. The City’s adoption of a Climate Action Plan set the stage for progressive sustainability goals: connectivity to the existing community, resilient site design, reduced energy and water use, sustainable material selections, and renewable energy production.  

To achieve these goals, Group 4 adopted an integrated approach from the earliest planning and design phases. We also combined active and passive design strategies. The community center’s net-zero success is attributed to iterative energy and daylight modeling, a highly insulated envelope, skylights, solar shading, ceiling fans, Dedicated Outdoor Air System (DOAS) with heat recovery, all-electric equipment, and a PV-array, among other special features. The design has already been recognized by the Peninsula Clean Energy 2022 All-Electric Leader Award – Innovative Commercial Project.  

Throughout the project, Group 4 embraced an inclusive and collaborative design process. Extensive community and stakeholder engagement assessed needs and built consensus. The result: a community center with flexibly designed spaces for all ages and various activities such as music, dance and fitness, arts and crafts, children’s play, classes, etc. The design also takes full advantage of indoor-outdoor connections with the park, allowing programming spaces to overflow outdoors. Special outdoor spaces include themed courtyards, an event stage, a playground, a multi-use play court, and more.