DESIGNWORKS 2025

Ella B. Scarborough Community Resource Center

Charlotte, NC

Gensler

The Ella B. Scarborough Community Resource Center (CRC) in Mecklenburg County is a new net-zero ready, 103,000-square-foot base building and interiors project in Charlotte, North Carolina. The transformative facility is one of five planned CRCs in the county and is optimized to promote health and wellness through trauma-informed design.

A top priority of this project was decentralizing one location to serve a multitude of people at five different CRC locations. The challenge in providing a full range of integrated health and wellbeing services in one building was to do so in a safe, secure, calm-inducing manner. Clear wayfinding and an organized configuration of zones were vital to guiding visitors through a neighborhood of resources with confidence and comfort. An ability to see space end-to-end, with professional consultation along the way, was essential to providing a complexity of services with clarity of sequence.

The new facility design planned to incorporate select community partners with County Health and Human Service agency departments, with the goal of assisting individuals and families on their journey from dependence to independence. Destigmatized, holistic delivery of care required both open, light-filled, inviting public spaces and private, sanctuary-like environments for social support counseling. The CRC strives to strengthen both individuals and families in the community by offering a dignified, accessible, and empowering experience.

A commitment to Net Zero Energy sustainability standards aimed to elevate health and wellness for the staff and patrons while representing a bold model of resilience and carbon emissions reduction for the community. Designing transformative interiors and outdoor spaces for employees further reinvigorates and empowers CRC workers in their passion for service. The building’s performance goals reflect Mecklenburg County’s broader commitment to environmental stewardship and long-term operational efficiency.

The Ella B. Scarborough CRC was challenged to provide a full life cycle of health and human service programming in a positive, well-coordinated setting. It was critical that navigation of the newly constructed space would reduce stress and encourage trust. The project’s success lies in its ability to deliver complex services in a setting that feels intuitive, welcoming, and restorative—an environment where architecture actively supports healing and human connection.