Residents of Olathe, Kan., gathered December 15 for the groundbreaking of their future community recreation center. In 2011, the team of Barker Rinker Seacat Architecture of Denver and SFS Architecture of Kansas City won a national design competition for the 72,000-sq-ft, $23.8-million Olathe Community Center.

Rendering courtesy of BRS

The 41-acre site for the center is planned at Stagecoach Park and will feature an outdoor living room, amphitheater and great lawn.

The 41-acre site for the center is planned at Stagecoach Park and will feature an “outdoor living room,” amphitheater and great lawn. The city council wanted a modern building that tied into the existing fabric of the Olathe community, and the design team created an exterior design composed of wood and native Kansas stone.

The highly anticipated center, which includes a triple-court gymnasium, fitness center, indoor pool complex, and community events hall, is slated to open in mid-2014.

Barker Rinker Seacat Architecture is serving as the architect-of-record and design architect while SFS Architecture fulfills the role of associate architect.