Page 73 - Summer_2019

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Computer stations.

suggestive of common park benches except for their bright blue
color—where clients may sit to watch television. Taking advantage
of the relatively high ceiling in this space, the designers introduced
an array of hanging plants—artificial, so as not to require undue
maintenance—that create a strong impression of being outside.
Nestled among the plants are pendant light fixtures that suggest
hanging lanterns. These gestures soften the space, thus helping to
counteract the institutional atmosphere that the designers sought
to avoid.
When the DDSC opened, the BID expected to serve about 80
clients per day. Moya estimates that it is already serving about 120
people daily, and she noted that on one holiday when other centers
were closed, it attracted upwards of 150. Those statistics are less
important to Moya, however, than the clear qualitative success of
the project. “I overheard one person talking to another,” she
recalled. “‘You have to come to the day center,’ they said. ‘I just
feel so loved when I go there, and the space is so beautiful.’”
Basement before renovation. Photo courtesy of Moya Design Partners

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