Kids understand neighborhoods – most often, it’s where they go to find other kids. What follows can only be described as play: pick up games of basketball, spontaneous water fights, and lemonade stands. In the 1950’s, Rochester was one of many cities that embraced the automobile by building a downtown freeway, dubbed the “Inner Loop”. The Inner Loop’s construction severed neighborhoods, created barriers, and drastically altered the scale and density of Rochester. The Strong

Lake Forest Church began when a group of 42 gathered in a Huntersville, NC bowling alley in April of 1998 to build a new following focused on inclusivity and openness. In working with LFC, LaBella’s design team focused on advancing the Church’s mission of “One More Person.” Uniquely, the facility includes a modern coffee bar and expanded lobby open to the public, aimed at creating an inviting community space and helping the LFC congregation form new and authentic relationshi

LaBella was proud to celebrate the groundbreaking of the the Nazareth College Golisano Training Center today, alongside our project partners Nazareth College and LeChase Construction, Tom Golisano, Golisano Foundation trustees and Director Ann Costello, Stacey Hengsterman, President & CEO of Special Olympics New York, local Special Olympians, and International Special Olympics Chairman Dr. Timothy Shriver. We're honored to be trusted with the design of the facility, which is

Last week the YMCA broke ground on its newest branch. Located in Pittsford, NY, the Regional Campus for Healthy Living will be the largest YMCA branch in the region, and one of the largest in the United States. The new branch will be a national model for the integration of health and wellness. The two story building will have walkout lower level on the north side. In total, it will comprise approximately 140,000 SF with 675 parking spaces on 20 acres of land. Amenities will

LaBella Associates was honored with the Educational Award of Excellence from the Upstate New York chapter of NAIOP (Commercial Real Estate Development Association) for our work on The Hermance Family Chapel of St. Basil the Great on the St. John Fisher campus. Barbara Burke represented LaBella at the awards ceremony held on Tuesday, November 28th in Buffalo, NY. The Hermance Family Chapel of St. Basil the Great is the realization of the campus vision to provide a chapel that

As schools, universities, and municipal parks become increasingly landlocked, our clients are constantly looking to balance the high demand of their sports programs with the maintenance and safety issues that come with overused fields. The National Federation of High School Sports (NFHS) and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) estimate that in the 2015-2016 season over 8.3 million students across the country participated in high school and collegiate level spo

LaBella Associates is collaborating with the Boy Scouts of America - Mecklenburg County Council, to design a new dining facility at the Mecklenburg Scout Reservation, Camp Grimes. The camp is located on 1,115 acres in the foothills of the South Mountains near Marion, North Carolina. After the original structure, built in 1974, was lost to a fire in the fall of 2016, the council needed to rebuild this vital, iconic part of the Boy Scout Camp. The new 18,000 SF dining hall and

The new Hermance Family Chapel of St. Basil the Great will be a signature building for the St. John Fisher College campus – in more ways than one! Students, faculty and friends signed the Chapel’s last steel beam and left their mark on the chapel now taking shape next to Kearney Hall. The Chapel is progressing towards a completion day of June 22nd, 2017 - the feast day of St. John Fisher. It is designed in the signature Gothic style of the St. John Fisher Campus with a steep

LaBella was proud to participate in a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Hermance Family Chapel of St. Basil the Great at St. John Fisher College. Led by President Dr. Gerard Rooney, the ceremony featured members of the Hermance family, the St. John Fisher College Board of Trustees, the college’s Basilian Fathers, and Bishop Salvatore Matano. Remarks by Bishop Matano referenced recent violence and instability across the world, and his hope for the new chapel to play a role i

On Tuesday, November 17th, a groundbreaking ceremony was held to celebrate the start of the new picnic pavilion and farmer’s market at the ESC Park in Troutman, NC. Soliciting community invovement has been a key component of the design process. On October 30th, the LaBella team attended Troutman’s Trails & Treats event at the park. Over 1000 community members attended the trick or treat nature trail walk. At the LaBella booth, attendees cast their votes for their preferred

LaBella Associates recently completed a project transforming Holy Sepulchre Cemetery’s existing gatehouses into multi-purpose community spaces. The gatehouses were built in 1870, with minimal updates beyond adding electrical utilities. The gatehouses have been re-imagined as conference and community space for both the cemetery and the general public. With new A/V capabilities, the spaces can be rented for a variety of functions, including post-burial gatherings. Technicall

Here at LaBella, we have been designing athletic fields for over 15 years. When it comes to athletic fields, there are many surface options available to choose from. Every project has different needs and priorities to take into account when choosing your surface. Factors that will affect your surface preference can include cost, safety, maintenance requirements, playable hours per year, time until playable, and lifespan. We developed an in-depth report and infographic to give

We're proud to share these new photos of the Eastside YMCA expansion. As noted in our ribbon-cutting post in March, the Eastside YMCA is now one of the largest YMCA's in North America, following a 10 month, $7 million expansion led by LaBella. Want to give these facilities a spin? Head over to the YMCA of Greater Rochester! #artsandrec #cultural

LaBella Associates recently completed a design-build renovation and addition to the Genesee Valley Club with LeChase Construction. The Club is located on historic East Avenue in Rochester. Following extensive membership surveys and a conceptual master plan, the club identified priority areas, including the Armstrong Grille restaurant. The project included the Armstrong Grille's casual, sports-style pub, an expanded kitchen servicing the pub, new dining areas with an expande

The LaBella team joined the YMCA of Greater Rochester in celebration of the Eastside Family YMCA's 34,000 square foot expansion project. The $7 million project was completed in 10 months, and includes new parking, a sports performance center, a stadium-style spinning studio, a gymnasium and a stretching center. Of particular note is a health suite within the YMCA, which will be operated by UR Medicine. The medical spaces will open this summer. As detailed in several news

Early this year, LaBella’s plans for the Gateway Building Project at the Rochester Museum and Science Center were approved by Rochester’s Preservation Board. The Rochester Business Journal profiled the project and its unique history and preservation challenges in this week’s Architecturally Speaking column. LaBella Associates became involved with the project in 2012, as one of six local architecture firms invited to participate in a design competition. The RMSC requested co

St. Matthew Church is a 15,000 sq. ft. facility located on Route 20A just east of the Village of Livonia. The building is located on a 20 acre rural parcel adjacent to a number of farms and which was once farmland itself. The 650 seat worship space faces north capturing natural light and framing the agricultural landscape. The interior environment of the space promotes a sense of community while facilitating the liturgy of worship. Fellowship activities, large group meetings

Fairport, NY - Originally initiated by a need to replace aging interior finishes and mechanical infrastructure, St. John of Rochester chose to look at their future needs to accommodate a growing congregation. LaBella Associates began a comprehensive facility analysis in June of 2011. Major components of the project include a full sanctuary renovation, narthex renovation and addition, increased storage areas, updates to restrooms and gathering rooms, as well as a music room a

This project renovated and expanded the former Finger Lakes Performing Arts Center located at Finger Lakes Community College. The design greatly increased the venues flexibility and ensured that this performing arts center will continue its proud tradition of being a cultural and civic resource to its surrounding communities. The project scope consisted of increasing the current covered seating capacity from 2,700 to 5,000. It created flanking balconies off of the stage tha