The Boys and Girls Club is a project designed to provide children ages 6-18 with a safe and healthy environment for physical and intellectual extracurricular activities. It really matters to the local kids because the club is located on the border of two municipalities, Tecamac and Ekatepek, and the area includes as many as 15 poor neighborhoods within just two kilometers. Ecatepec and Tecamac have more than 2 million inhabitants and boast one of the highest crime rates in Mexico.
According to the creators of the project, the most difficult task of the project was to interact with the local population: it was important to earn the trust of the local community. During construction, the architectural team held events for residents of nearby neighborhoods to communicate the club’s mission and future programs.
The complex itself consists of three buildings. Building A is the space for educational projects, with classrooms, music, art or computer rooms. In addition, this building has a kitchen, library and multifunctional room. Building B is for art classes. The building is hardly used for studies, but there is a dance studio, martial arts room, exhibition and event space. And the back C is occupied by a sports complex – a large comfortable hangar that can be zoned and adapted for any sports activities.
In general, the creation of the complex is a strong story about charity, as the project was able to turn into reality thanks to donations from companies and local patrons.