In 2020, obr began work with the Challenge Center, a non-for-profit physical health and wellness group dedicated to providing specialized physical therapy and rehabilitation programs for seniors and individuals with physical disabilities. The Challenge Center approached obr to help transform their current single-story, undersized and dated gym facility into a state-of-the-art health and wellness center to reflect their evolving program and growing clientele.
Following a series of collaborative design exercises, obr proposed a fully accessible, 3-story modern health center, complete with an expansive open gym floor, private therapy rooms, flexible education spaces, a second story landscaped “green” deck, and leasable health service suites. The re-envisioned Challenge Center features floor to ceiling glazing, and a 3-story atrium entry to allow ample natural light to fill the space, while operable facades open out to a garden and pool area to allow for programmatic flexibility and indoor-outdoor activities.
Glass elevators and an external accessible pedestrian ramp not only form prominent architectural features, but also celebrate the user on their journey to health and wellness.
