Civita Recreation Center Named “Best Community Amenity” in Southern California at SoCal Awards

The new Civita Recreation Center was acclaimed the “Best Community Amenity” in master-planned communities throughout Southern California at the SoCal Awards, held at a gala black tie event at Disney’s Grand California Hotel on Sept. 30. The rec center, designed by architects Bassenian Lagoni and landscape architects Lifescapes International, sits above Civita Park and has a panoramic view of Mission Valley. The building is organized into two parts – a Social Wing and a Fitness Wing. From the front entrance, large, frameless glass doors open into a large reception space and through to the gathering room. A centrally located kitchen area opens to the great room, dining room and covered patios beyond. The 30- by 40-foot open fitness floor inflects toward the outdoors through tall glazing, which looks out on a 15-foot covered terrace and lap pool beyond. This space also has ready access to the spa and yoga lawn alongside the lap pool. An important social/fitness link is the beach volleyball court that bleeds into the beach-entry pool area. “The SoCal Awards attract hundreds of entries from all over Southern California, said Marco Sessa, senior vice president of Sudberry Properties, which is developing Civita. “We’re very honored by this award. “We’re grateful to Bassenian Lagoni and Lifescapes International for pouring their hearts and expertise into this project. I also want to acknowledge the contribution made by Mark Radelow, who headed up the Rec Center design and construction on behalf of Sudberry Properties.”