LeFrak Center at Lakeside
TYLin provided structural engineering services for the new LeFrak Center, part of an ambitious project to restore and revitalize 26 acres of Prospect Park.
The recreational facility's two rinks, an uncovered ellipse and a canopied hockey rink, are open for public skating in the winter; the hockey rink hosts roller skating in the summer.
Two single-story rectangular buildings topped by roof terraces bound the rinks in an L-shaped plan. One building contains an ice-making plant, mechanical facilities, a cafe, and storage areas; the other houses skate rental, lockers, a shop, and offices.
The new 75,000-square-foot center is respectful of its park environment: vegetated berms conceal the structures from the park’s main path, and the rink’s 25,000-square-foot canopy is planted with sedum. Granite-clad structural steel columns support the canopy and are irregularly spaced to leave corners open, giving skaters unobstructed sightlines to the lake. This project is LEED Gold certified.