Avison Community Center

Located at the intersection of Franklin Boulevard and Can-Amera Parkway, this community center is designed to serve the diverse needs of surrounding neighborhoods while complementing the adjacent Cambridge Sports Park and Arena. The facility includes a multi-court gymnasium, a two-story library, multipurpose and meeting rooms, and thoughtfully designed outdoor spaces.

A central atrium acts as a connective spine, guiding visitors through the building and linking interior functions with exterior amenities such as playgrounds, seating areas, pathways, and fire pits. Curtain walls enhance visual and physical connectivity between indoor and outdoor environments.

Architecturally, the building blends historical references from Cambridge’s heritage with modern design elements, including extensive glazing and sustainable technologies. Key sustainability features include solar panels, high-performance building envelope systems, skylights for natural lighting, an air-source heat pump, and electric vehicle charging stations.

As the structural point person for this project, I was responsible for designing the building’s framing system, which included concrete-filled steel tube columns and a combination of W sections, open web joists (OWJs), and trusses for the bending members. I collaborated closely with the architecture, enclosure, and mechanical teams to ensure structural integration across disciplines, particularly in developing transition details between the structure and envelope.

My contributions also included preliminary foundation design, structural bracing strategies, and framing the serrated roof to accommodate skylights. Additionally, I produced structural elevations to support coordination and visualization throughout the design process.