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But it was impossible to bring in light from every direction. The property owner vetoed plans for a massive skylight in the entry area. It also was not possible to add windows to most of the other exterior walls. But GTM maximized what they did have: an expansive glass front to the structure.

As a result, the YMCA's entry area is bathed in natural light, serving as an appropriately open and welcoming space. Popular with hundreds of local families, the Fort Washington YMCA is a place where people constantly stream in and out all day and evening. This is where they congregate and converse.

In the absence of the foiled skylight, the architects did the next best thing, constructing a recessed lighting fixture angled to flood the space with additional light. Both the overhead light fixture and the interior back wall of the welcome desk are cast in vibrant oval shapes, which were meant to convey, according to the architect, "wholeness, comfort, and safety."

The transparency at the entry is extended as much as possible into the interior through the use of storefront windows as partitions. Wherever possible — in the weight room, for instance, but not the locker room — the architects placed floor-to-ceiling glass walls. In addition to distributing daylight, this transparency allows the YMCA to become a kind of theater, where gymnasts stride past yoga classes, and kids play games within view of their parents chatting over cappuccinos.

Rebranding the Y

Across the entry area from the front desk and waiting area is a cafe with hot and cold drinks as well as checkers and chess, encouraging the notion that this is not just a place to exercise or take classes, but also to congregate. That's an important distinction for the YMCA, helping the centuries-old institution to transcend the image of a mere gym to become a true community center.

"That is really the goal," Taitt says, "to create a space where you can just come and hang out. You can have a cup of coffee while your child has a class and meet your neighbors. You've got childcare next to a wellness center and a cafe. It's a family center. I wanted it to be a place of welcome that invites the community in."

In addition to the welcome area and cafe, there is a gym, aerobic studios, sauna, team room, and massage rooms. The childcare area houses a multipurpose room, computer room, and three large classrooms. Taitt explains the new YMCA has been "a huge success in the community... because it's filled a huge void."

Without a drop ceiling, the spaces have exposed structural and mechanical elements, but the architect custom-designed a series of canopies that feature elliptical and curved shapes that recall ship sails, conveying movement and whimsy.

GTM Architects also took an active role in establishing numerous graphic elements in the interiors. In one common area, for example, there is a massive mural made from ten different black and white photographs of children who have spent time at the Y. Many of the photos are tinted in red, the institution's signature color. A ceiling in the childcare area is also festooned with imagery and text, meant to inspire the young minds below.

"In the childcare area," Taitt explains, "there's not a lot of outdoor space. So we wanted to make a space parents want their children to be in, to get excited and inspired by. So the graphics in the childcare area were very important." She concludes: "It was important to me to put everything I had to it."

Throughout the Fort Washington YMCA, there are countless swatches of color that have been incorporated in the walls, floors, and ceilings. Not only does the parade of squares and circles in yellow, blue, red, and green add fun to the interior, but it also seems to represent the continuous stream of people from all cultures who come to YMCAs like this one — or perhaps not quite like this one — all over the country.

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Brian Libby is a Portland, Oregon-based freelance writer who has also published in Metropolis, The New York Times, Christian Science Monitor, and Architectural Record.

SUBSCRIPTION SAMPLE Main lobby of the new Fort Washington, Maryland YMCA by GTM Architects. Photo: Kenneth M. Wyner Photography The juice bar is wrapped in Bamboo-inlaid translucent fiberglass panels. Photo: Kenneth M. Wyner Photography Fort Washington YMCA floor plan. Image: GTM Architects Extra Large Image Bands of carpet abut the checkerboard gym wall. Photo: Kenneth M. Wyner Photography YMCA graphics embody ideas of family, community, and learning in the childcare area. Photo: Kenneth M. Wyner Photography Windows in the childcare area offer child-height views into the gym. Photo: Kenneth M. Wyner Photography Water wall. Photo: Kenneth M. Wyner Photography The YMCA mission statement flanks the arched entrance to the wellness area. Photo: Kenneth M. Wyner Photography   Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.