Background

Chambers has been a part of the Belfair Club for some years, working on a number of projects in the member-owned club as it grew and prospered. Through the natural evolution of several Boards of Directors Chambers helped maintain the club's focus as it moved forward. In 2003, the club wanted to expand its recreational facilities to create a unified architectural ensemble and to acknowledge the strong influence of a health-conscious membership.

Our Approach

Chambers' typical Master Plan approach, to involve members in the process of understanding what a club might need, was well rewarded at Belfair, resulting in the highest positive vote by membership in the club's history for any measure. Chambers organized the recreational amenities, which included an indoor pool, into a cohesive facility with expanded fitness services. As this project moved forward Chambers was asked to consider an expansion of the clubhouse to include casual dining and a pub; the firm presented multiple viewpoints on how and why to expand, giving the club alternatives which they hadn't considered and which opened new possibilities for success.

Results

The recreation facilities completed, Chambers prepared an animated video walk-through to introduce the membership and board to the specific prospects of an expansion of the clubhouse. The video allowed membership to "see" the expansion before a shovel entered the earth, showing how the magnificent marshland views could be maximized by expanding out and up. Importantly, the revised space plan provided that events could now be held without intruding into adjacent club facilities, and the kitchen was planned to, for the first time, have the ability to serve both a la carte and banquet operations simultaneously. Belfair felt, due to the thoroughness of the work Chambers had presented, that the firm itself should provide the design, development, and construction documents and bid the project on a not-to-exceed basis before members voted. The goal is to get member budget approval in 2009.