The project: The Southeast Raleigh YMCA and Elementary School is a pioneering 105,000-sf community-centered facility located in the heart of the Rock Quarry Road Corridor. As the first co-located YMCA and public school in North Carolina, this groundbreaking project serves as a model for integrated development that meets both educational and recreational needs under one roof. It is the first completed component
of the 32-acre YMCA Beacon Site, a broader community investment initiative that now includes 120 units of affordable housing.

The goal: The goal of this innovative project was to directly respond to the expressed needs of an underserved neighborhood, creating a shared space that provides equitable access to essential services including public education, wellness programming, childcare, and community gathering areas. The building was envisioned as a beacon of opportunity and connection for the residents of Southeast Raleigh.

The design: The structure is a steel-framed building with a composite steel beam and concrete slab second floor, topped with a bar joist and metal deck roof system. A two-story cast-in-place concrete cantilevered firewall provides critical fire separation between functions. Given the site’s undocumented fill soils, reaching depths of up to 15 feet, rammed aggregate piers were used to provide foundational support. The project also includes an outdoor swimming pool and a glulam wood-framed pool house, adding recreational amenities to the site.

The outcome: Completed as a cornerstone of the YMCA Beacon Site, the Southeast Raleigh YMCA and Elementary School has become a transformative community asset. It stands as a testament to collaborative, community-driven development delivering educational, recreational, and social benefits in a single, thoughtfully engineered facility.