Design Guide: Recreation Centers Planning Considerations January 1976
d. PROGRAM DIMENSIONS. One objective of
which occur at Main Centers only:
the Recreation Center Program is to create
(a) information/Tour/Travel (ITT) is
opportunities for expanded individual and
the centralized information office for on- and
community social awareness and growth. This
off-post leisure activities and recreational
Program must respond to the military commu-
resources such as group tours, travel planning,
nity's recreational needs by planning, execut-
and distribution of tickets for recreational
ing, and evaluating activities that involve the
activities.
patrons in the following dimensions:
(b) Consultant Services provide com-
(1) Social, by encouraging interpersonal
prehensive social and supplemental consultant
relations and interaction;
services and maintain liaison with appropriate
(2) Cultural, by developing an awareness
military and civilian agencies for unit parties,
and appreciation of different heritages and
military celebrations and anniversary obser-
civilizations;
vances, leisure counseling and referral, etc.
(3) Educational, by providing instruction in
(3) Special Interest Component. This com-
new skills and abilities and developing known
ponent provides special recreational activities
skills;
that are of specific interest to the military
community and special populations such as
(4) Amusive, by providing enjoyment and
dependent wives' activities, discussion groups,
relaxation; and
classes, special events, and special interest clubs.
(5) Service, by providing service to individ-
These activities may continue over a long
uals, the community, special populations, etc.
period of time and appeal to soldiers, their
The matrices in Tables 2-1 and 2 demonstrate
families, and other community members.
how a chess tournament and a theme program,
(4) Mobile Component. This component is
"2001 . . . Days of Future Passed," can involve
a delivery system which takes Army Recreation
the Center's patrons in each of the components
Center Programs to personnel in remote areas
and along each of these dimensions.
such as units on field maneuvers, isolated work
Another objective of the Recreation Center
or housing areas without recreational facilities,
Program is to respond immediately to the
and off-post sites. Recmobiles and vehicles
community's needs by initiating activities as
which house the mobile program are admin-
soon as an interest is expressed; as soon as the
istratively and logistically supported only from
interest diminishes, that specific activity is
Main Recreation Centers.
dropped. To meet this need, the Program is
While certain activities are standard features of
characterized by a great deal of spontaneity
one of the previously mentioned components
within the framework of the components and
(for instance, a dance is a Regular component
dimensions.
and chess club would be a Special Interest
In order to support the large degree of
component), the Recreation Center Program is
flexibility required in the social programming
flexible in that one component may become
of the Center's activities, the design should
involved with another (for example, the chess
incorporate a wide range of spatial configura-
club may sponsor a chess night and social which
tions in which a variety of activities can occur.
would be part of the Regular component). The
These spaces should be planned and designed
design implication of this is the requirement
according to the needs of the Program
that the Center be planned to house a group of
components in relation to the full range of
interrelated components which have a wide
Program dimensions rather than establishing
range of activities rather than a group of
separate spaces for each component related to a
independent and separate components. To
single dimension.
more fully understand these interrelationships,
To be successful, the design of these spaces
each of the components can be described along
must specifically support the range of activities
five dimensions which describe the purpose of
that will take place within it; incompatible
the activities,
2-2
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