Singing Hills Recreation Center
The Singing Hills Recreation Center is a first of its kind in Dallas—a multi-generational, community-focused facility in a historically underserved neighborhood, connected to a commuter rail station.
The new center serves as a platform for social interaction where human activities—recreation, community, education—intersect.
Our design team sought to enhance the beauty of the area by creating a facility that mimics the natural landscape in an abstracted way. By trimming the underbrush and lower limbs of the densely treed area, a space for human activity to take place among nature was revealed.
Whether 16 or 65, the center has something for everyone—a basketball court, community facilities, and a senior center, all under a single roof.
A key design strategy involved burrowing the gymnasium into the hillside to follow the site topography and reduce the volumetric bulk of the space, thereby maintaining a human scale and surprise overlooks into the gym activities.
Translating nature, the tree canopy is abstracted to an undulating overhead plane, framing views, revealing the activities inside, and allowing the natural terrain to visually flow through the building.
The Center’s program includes many opportunities for physical fitness, from the NCAA-sized gymnasium to a well-outfitted fitness room, to a multifunction studio that can be used for dance, yoga, etc. Through their many programs for all generations, the City helps grow healthy behaviors which benefit the community at large.
Built as an integral part of the station on a newly extended rail line, the Center is linked to Downtown Dallas, offering expanded economic opportunities and social connectedness. One stop to the south, the line connects to a satellite campus of the University of North Texas. For those traveling to Singing Hills and the University the building serves an arrival gateway and a symbol of a more equitable future for the area.
