DESIGNWORKS 2021

Cathy Novinger Girl Scout Leadership Center

Columbia, SC

Boudreaux

The challenge of the Cathy Novinger Girl Scout Leadership Center was to reimagine a 1970s State Agricultural Lab building as an overnight destination filled with memory-making experiences. Through vision sessions with board members, community leaders, and the Scouts themselves, we heard they wanted the space to be fun, sophisticated, flexible, and colorful. Their branding representation was to be explicit and immersive with an aesthetic that could be embraced by young girls and business leaders alike. Bold colors and graphics, steeped in meaning, enliven every space. A multi-media gallery celebrates Girl Scout’s accomplishments and history, sending the message that this building is unapologetically for all girls past, present, and future. Programmatically, the Center required a thoughtful consideration of the experience of a wide spectrum of users simultaneously occupying the building, including campers in five uniquely themed bunk rooms. Led by Interior’s spatial organization, two highly impactful subtractive gestures link inside and out. The first sets an energetic tone and emphasizes the entry, while removing a portion of the second-floor structure reveals a two-story lobby that becomes a central hub with dynamic climbing wall. The second subtractive move defines a covered multi-use area that connects visitors to nature and the nearby Congaree River. Faced with a very tight budget of less than $75/sf, after all the building systems were completely replaced, the interior reconfiguration, finishes, and FF&E deliver both visual impact and longevity. Altogether, a fun and professional aesthetic supports a consistent theme, when you are here – “Girls Rule.”