The Baker-Ripley Neighborhood Center, Houston, TX
The campus of the Baker Ripley Center supports a large underserved population in the Gulfton neighborhood of southwest Houston, Texas. The site is adjacent to an existing community center. The master planning process included six-months of intense community engagement with residents to identify assets and future needs. The final campus layout includes a new middle school; a public library; a health clinic; a business incubator; a community health and fitness center; an outdoor movie venue, a community arts center, a farmers market and other outdoor public park venues. The building design incorporates interpretations of Mexican and South American art and architectural symbols and archetypes in response to preferences and sketches created by local stakeholders in the community engagement process. The center’s multiple components will be managed as an integrated community enterprise by the non-profit Neighborhood Centers Incorporated.
An article on the Baker-Ripley Neighborhood Center published in Cite, an architecture and design review of Houston can be viewed here
