Gateway to the Community

Architecture in the community acts as a bridge between the local population and their everyday activities, routes through the community, creative and learning spaces, cultural and social activities. Buildings for the community will have many roles to play, as functional and appealing architectural designs; fitting into the site and surroundings, inevitably becoming landmarks and social connectors. They may help transform the way people interact and use shared space, building better communities, offering support for local people, addressing news and events, heritage and history; a familiar place for all; a beacon, the community gateway. How much say do the community have in the shaping of space? How does a new, shared space influence the group, the community as one? How does an injection of new space, construction, complex urban planning, activity and event affect the individual community lives, intimately, comfortably and educationally? How do we create good, sustainable and welcoming community gateways? For this article, I have studied the following buildings: Weeksville Heritage Centre, Brooklyn, NY, USA by Caples Jefferson Architects St. Elizabeths East Gateway Pavilion, Washington, DC, USA by Davis Brody Bond Architects; Praca de Lisboa, Porto, Portugal by Balonas and Menano Architects