CENTER FOR SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES
Compton, CA 2014 - 2017
Located in the heart of Compton, the Compton Center for Sustainable Communities (CSC) is part of the Neighborhood Housing Services (NHS) Sustainable Communities Initiative towards holistic and sustainable place-making and community development.
The project was created out of an abandoned grocery store to accommodate NHS financial services, a local community development financial institution small business incubator providing loans, education, and consulting services. A technology, job training, and employment center, specifically targeting youth, families, leadership, economics, and connecting churches providing Whole-life Discipleship, Entrepreneurial/Business Development, Leadership Development Training, Asset-based Community Development, and Community Partnerships. NHS provides similar office space, counseling, and gathering environments.
All of these spaces are connected to the Café, located at the southwest corner of the facility, which we designed for a unique character providing a connection between the space, creating large glazed openings for natural light, and brick & furred finishes to incorporate material options for the combination of hues shown in the concept provided by NHS and Sovereign Design. The café has enough room for cooking but also sells smoothies, herbs, and retail space to sell wellness products. Lounge seating and dining flows from the interior to the exterior. NHS envisioned a place that put health, housing, employment, conservation, entrepreneurship, and public safety resources all under one roof and imagined a building in bright colors, surrounded by green space and gardens where folks could simply come to pick the food they needed.
Location: Compton, California
Year: 2014 - 2017
Status: Construction
Size: 24,500 SF / 1.5 Acres
Client: Neighborhood Housing Services
Design Team: Michael Anderson, Elliot Barker, Andrew Matsumoto, Michael Huang
