SOS Children's Villages Lavessorio Community Center

The Lavezzorio Community Center building at SOS Children’s Village in Auburn Gresham is as unique and effective as the services and programs it houses. The building is a symbolic focus for a community dedicated to providing homes for foster children. In a striking building both inside and out, Studio Gang Architects has created spaces that are equally open and inviting and also safe and secure, reflecting the organization’s focus on fostering stability and growth in its residents and the community. Many of the building’s bright, airy spaces have multiple uses, providing SOS with the flexibility to serve the needs of its residents and the surrounding community alike. The interior spaces provide an atmosphere that is protective and uplifting. The wide lobby stairs can function as classroom seating or an impromptu stage, and the community room on the second floor does triple duty as a classroom, exercise room and meeting space. The location of the building places the Lavezzorio Community Center in a position that showcases its unique qualities of sculptural finesse andmaterial invention. Creative detailing and unforeseen use of materials reinforce the innovative quality of the building, providing an inspiration to its community. The “stratawall” at the entry allowed the building to use donated, recycled supplies without compromising structural or aesthetic integrity, increasing sustainability and reducing cost. For striking and functional design and responsiveness to the needs of both the organization and the surrounding community, SOS Children’s Villages Lavezzorio Community Center and Studio Gang Architects are the First Place winner of the 2009 Richard H. Driehaus Award for Architectural Excellence in Community Design.