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The Dockweiler State Beach Youth Center is the first of three facilities the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors plans to construct to house its W.A.T.E.R. (Water, Awareness, Training, Education and Recreation) Program. Currently serving 5,000 inner city children ages 5-17 from the Marina del Rey neighborhood, the W.A.T.E.R. Youth Program gives children the opportunity to take aquatics classes, learn ocean skills and safety, marine life education, and participate in other water activities. The new facility includes a large multi-purpose meeting and training room, administrative offices, a kitchen, a viewing terrace, restroom and locker facilities, and equipment and vehicle storage. The center’s location also allows for orderly circulation of buses and cars, resulting in the safe drop-off and pick-up of the children.

Conceived as a physical extension of the surrounding Pacific Coast environment, the Dockweiler State Beach Youth Center incorporates characteristics of the immediate beach site and more distant landscapes. Taking cues from the rich site, the folding roof forms are held close to the down-sloping sand bank giving the illusion of a textured landform becoming an extension of the sand itself. The site is also defined by urban infrastructure areas including the Hyperion Water Treatment Facility immediately across the street, the Los Angeles International Airport to the north, an adjacent concession stand, and a well-traveled bike route that marks the northern edge of the site.

A straightforward building plan provides a linear public circulation space anchored at the east by the front door and the west by a view/events terrace; indoor and outdoor stairs lead down to the beach. The main conference space occupies nearly the full length of the south façade with commanding views toward the Palos Verdes peninsula and Catalina Island. The lower level contains ample space for vehicles, equipment storage, and maintenance.

The tile roof and plaster facades are a simple and relatively neutral response to the “mission style” that has prevailed in past beachfront projects. Utilizing this palette in a more contemporary way satisfies challenges of visual continuity while also providing a distinctly contemporary building.

The Youth Center was designed with a holistic approach to environmental responsibility, resource efficiency, occupant comfort and well being, and community sensitivity. Passive solar features such as dramatic exterior overhangs shade the windows during the summer months, insulated and translucent glazing that diffuses solar heat gain and filters daylight, and a certified energy-efficient cool roof tile that absorbs less heat thereby reducing the building’s cooling demand. The layout of the building locates regularly occupied spaces such as meeting rooms and administrative offices along the perimeter to take advantage of access to daylight, views, and natural ventilation. In addition, many of the construction materials and finishes specified contain high levels of recycled content and many are manufactured regionally.