Lexington Fayette Urban County Government Senior Center

Completed September 2016, the 33,000-square-foot Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government Senior Center was designed and constructed so seniors could have the tools and opportunities to remain independent, healthy and involved with space for a range of activities for them to develop and maintain a high-quality of life.

The two-story building features flexible multipurpose areas for art activities, educational and recreational classes, along with gaming areas, library, lounge and cafés. There are also walking trails, outdoor fitness areas and parking for 200.

The senior center was designed by Lexington-based EOP Architects, along with consulting firm, Catlin+Petrovick Architects PC from Keene, N.H. The project’s success was rooted with a broad effort of community engagement, ensuring that the voices of the local senior community were heard and considered in the facility’s design.

The Lexington Senior Center anchors the southern end of a public park and is situated approximately 1,000 feet from the nearest main arterial road. Since the building needed to be noticeable from a distance, its design uses a recognizable form and bold material palette to create an engaging and unique piece of contemporary architecture. It keeps the building rooted in its particular time and place and gives the city of Lexington a resilient and sustainable asset for the future. Pops of color and metal cladding give the building a bold street presence.

The LEED Gold-certified building uses a super-insulated building envelope, high-efficiency HVAC systems and ground-source geothermal loop to reduce the building’s energy usage.  Daylighting further reduced the need for electric lighting and provides views throughout the building.  The landscape is entirely irrigation-free and full of native plantings and utilizes passive stormwater management structures to control and treat all the site’s runoff.