Community Archives - GMB https://gmb.com/school/community/ Abundance in Education Tue, 02 Sep 2025 14:59:40 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://gmb.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/cropped-gmb-logo-32x32.png Community Archives - GMB https://gmb.com/school/community/ 32 32 Plainwell Community Schools https://gmb.com/work/plainwell-community-schools/ Tue, 02 Sep 2025 14:38:18 +0000 https://gmb.com/?post_type=work&p=18532 A glass-fronted lobby with concessions serves both gym and pool users, and natural light floods key public areas, reflecting the district’s priority on openness and wellness. Careful integration with Plainwell Middle School balances accessibility with security, ensuring student safety without sacrificing flexibility for community activities. Designed to feel like a collegiate facility in scale and […]

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Plainwell, MI | Completed January 2025

Funded by the 2019 bond, the new Plainwell Fieldhouse provides a state-of-the-art facility for student athletics and community wellness. Strategically located adjacent to the high school and designed with long-term functionality in mind, the facility redefines how Plainwell’s 2,600 students and residents engage in sports, recreation, and wellness.

The new 327,000-gallon pool features 10 competition lanes, doubling the previous capacity, and includes a new dedicated diving area. A second-floor spectator space provides an elevated view and comfortable seating for extended swim meets, while the pool’s energy-efficient heating and filtration systems support sustainability and performance. The facility also employs the Colorado Timing System, a state-of-the-art electronic timing system for competitive swimming and other aquatic sports.

The connected fieldhouse includes a three-station competition gym with a designated main court and flexible layout to support multiple events at once. Retractable bleachers can accommodate over 2,100 spectators, and a second floor running track supports both training and community use.

A glass-fronted lobby with concessions serves both gym and pool users, and natural light floods key public areas, reflecting the district’s priority on openness and wellness. Careful integration with Plainwell Middle School balances accessibility with security, ensuring student safety without sacrificing flexibility for community activities.

Designed to feel like a collegiate facility in scale and function, the Fieldhouse incorporates Plainwell branding throughout, from exterior signage to thoughtful wayfinding. The building’s durable materials, ADA accessibility, and forward-looking master plan prepare it for decades of use, while features like swim classes, walking hours, and rentals ensure it remains a central hub for the Plainwell community.

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Kentwood Public Schools – Indoor Multipurpose Facility https://gmb.com/work/kentwood-public-schools/ Thu, 19 Jun 2025 13:22:04 +0000 https://gmb.com/?post_type=work&p=18460 One of the defining features of the facility is the collegiate-inspired entrance experience. Set 12 feet above the field at the 50-yard line, the entrance creates a concourse-level balcony that is both welcoming and dynamic. The indoor facility will also have high visibility from the adjacent football stadium. This visual and physical connection between the […]

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Kentwood, MI | Under Construction

The new multipurpose indoor facility at East Kentwood High School is designed to serve the diverse needs of athletic teams, student organizations, and community partners across the district year-round. At 108,000 square feet, this state-of-the-art space is one of the only full-size indoor football fields in Michigan and is designed to elevate both athletic and educational experiences. 

Designed with inclusivity, flexibility, and long-term community value in mind, the facility offers a regulation-size football field with striping for softball, baseball, and lacrosse; a 55-yard turf soccer field; four-lane sprinting and training track; two band towers; and additional flex space to accommodate a wide range of programs. The field area is surrounded by clean, modern finishes, including endwall storage, solid-colored wall padding, and perimeter netting. AV boards for media, timekeeping and scoring will enhance the game-day like experience for athletes. 

One of the defining features of the facility is the collegiate-inspired entrance experience. Set 12 feet above the field at the 50-yard line, the entrance creates a concourse-level balcony that is both welcoming and dynamic. The indoor facility will also have high visibility from the adjacent football stadium. This visual and physical connection between the high school, freshman campus, and stadium reinforces the facility’s role as a unifying, central hub on campus. 

Inside, a tiered, 100+ person team room serves as an inspiring space for building team culture, supporting collaboration and watching game film. Prominent branding elements such as Kentwood’s signature “positive red” paint and custom logo turf reinforce district pride throughout the facility. 

Thoughtfully designed to support the entire district, the multipurpose space can be subdivided to accommodate multiple teams and activities simultaneously, maximizing its usefulness and accessibility for students and the community. Reflecting a commitment to sustainability and stewardship, a considerable number of trees will be planted throughout the district to replace the foliage displaced during construction. 

The new indoor facility is set to become a destination practice facility for the area — a true reflection of the investment in student opportunity, community connection, and the future of athletics and education in Kentwood. 

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City of Holland https://gmb.com/work/holland-community-ice-skating-park/ Thu, 18 Jan 2024 15:25:00 +0000 https://gmb.com/?post_type=work&p=1090 Connecting the Holland Community In planning for more than 25 years, the ice rink project is finally coming to life thanks in part to a community member donation and a state-level grant. Situated on a previous refuse site, the soil conditions presented several challenges to the team, but has been stabilized for the new recreational […]

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Holland, MI | Under Construction

The Holland community will soon be home to a welcoming and unique looped ice-skating rink at the Window on the Waterfront (WOW) Park. The new rink will feature a ribbon design with a circle “pond” rink that creates a fun and unique user experience, bringing people to downtown Holland. 

The rink will be made of real ice during the winter months and will have multi-year use that appeals to all park users. In peak winter season, ice skating, curling, outdoor fireplaces and gathering spaces can be enjoyed at the rink. In the warmer months, a small amphitheater hill will be created for performance space with outdoor seating and amenities. Concessions, bathrooms, storage buildings and canopies will complete the outdoor rink space.

Connecting the Holland Community

In planning for more than 25 years, the ice rink project is finally coming to life thanks in part to a community member donation and a state-level grant. Situated on a previous refuse site, the soil conditions presented several challenges to the team, but has been stabilized for the new recreational use. The completed rink will act as another steppingstone that connects community spaces from the downtown area to the lakeshore waterfront.

Crafting a Unique Experience

The final design was influenced by input from the community during an open design workshop, as well as stakeholder tours from other prominent ribbon-style rinks in major cities. The WOW Park also features plenty of amenities including riverfront access, athletic fields, a boardwalk, the Sally Smoly Nature Playscape and more.

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Lakeshore Advantage https://gmb.com/work/lakeshore-advantage-next-center/ Tue, 17 Jan 2023 19:02:00 +0000 https://gmb.com/?post_type=work&p=1066 Outside, a modern exterior featuring glass and metal will greet visitors and pedestrians along the busy street corridor. Ample glass offers transparency into the business space and creates a unique experience for passers-by. The facility is positioned between the 8th Street downtown corridor and Window on the Waterfront Park where walkways will be heavily traversed […]

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Holland, MI | Under Construction

Lakeshore Advantage provides current and prospective companies in Ottawa and Allegan Counties, located in West Michigan, with one-step assistance for location, innovation, and growth. To serve the region’s entrepreneurial community, Lakeshore Advantage invested in a new building called the Next Center. The 20,000 sq ft, three-story building will provide a space to bring innovation, community startups, and learning to the Lakeshore.

The first-floor space will be home for startup businesses that will include collaborative spaces for exchanging ideas and fostering mutual connections. A learning lab that can accommodate 50 people will also provide space for workshops, networking, and presentations on the ground level. The second-floor space will become the new headquarters for Lakeshore Advantage employees while also housing office space for growing second-stage companies. The top floor will belong to an established business which complements the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Outside, a modern exterior featuring glass and metal will greet visitors and pedestrians along the busy street corridor. Ample glass offers transparency into the business space and creates a unique experience for passers-by. The facility is positioned between the 8th Street downtown corridor and Window on the Waterfront Park where walkways will be heavily traversed while offering views back towards downtown Holland. A rooftop deck provides tenants with an outdoor amenity space for their use and pleasure. 

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Hope College – Haworth Hotel https://gmb.com/work/hope-college-haworth-hotel/ Fri, 20 Aug 2021 17:56:00 +0000 https://gmb.com/?post_type=work&p=18090 Related work Explore our insights on branding, marketing, engineering, and architecture, tailored specifically to the higher education sector.

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Holland, MI | Completed 2021

Haworth Hotel, formerly known as the Haworth Inn & Conference Center, serves as the front door for Hope College and a key part of the institution’s image and identity.

The reimagining of this 36,000-square foot project called on the expertise of stakeholders in architecture, design, and manufacturing. GMB and Perkins&Will’s 2017 campus master plan outlined the essential purpose in reinventing the formerly 47-key hotel – now 48 guestrooms, including a brand-new suite, and 14 conference spaces.

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The ODC Network https://gmb.com/work/odc-network-sally-smoly-nature-playscape/ Thu, 18 Mar 2021 15:13:00 +0000 https://gmb.com/?post_type=work&p=1081 “The Michigan Municipal League is a firm believer in building community wealth in ways that enhance the human experience for everyone. Creating this new WOW Park will definitely improve the experience for all living in and visiting Holland. That is what community wealth building is about.” Related work Explore our insights on branding, marketing, engineering, […]

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Holland, MI | Completed 2021

GMB, The ODC Network (ODC), and the City of Holland partnered to create the Sally Smoly Nature Playscape at Window on the Waterfront Park (WOW). This 1-acre park within a park had a $350,000 budget, the last $100,000 of which was raised through a $50,000 crowdfunding and a matching grant from MEDC’s Public Spaces Community Places program in the summer of 2021. 

Located two blocks from downtown Holland, the project introduces the first playground within a 20-minute walk and also serve residents of nearby senior living facilities. The project supports ODC’s mission to connect people to nature and provides play and learn spaces.

Sally Smoly Nature Playscape is sited in a central greenspace on existing parkland. The park offers climbing structures constructed of logs, nets, rocks and boulders; slides; fully accessible, looping walking paths and features making the space usable for people of all abilities; creative play areas that include a playhouse, sand, a deck lookout and sledding hill; hammock posts; an amphitheater and stage space plus a pavilion and benches; large grassy greenspace for games and activities; landscaping with a focus on a natural environment with an abundance of native plants and vegetation; fencing for the early childhood area; and adjacent parking.

“The Michigan Municipal League is a firm believer in building community wealth in ways that enhance the human experience for everyone. Creating this new WOW Park will definitely improve the experience for all living in and visiting Holland. That is what community wealth building is about.”

Dan Gilmartin, League’s CEO and Executive Director

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City of Holland – Holland Civic Center https://gmb.com/work/city-of-holland/ Mon, 20 Aug 2018 17:42:00 +0000 https://gmb.com/?post_type=work&p=18089 Related work Explore our insights on branding, marketing, engineering, and architecture, tailored specifically to the higher education sector.

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Holland, MI | Completed 2018

After many years of planning and fundraising efforts, the 55,000 square foot building renovation breathes new life into downtown Holland. We partnered with Edgewater Resources for this project and engaged stakeholders early on in a Design Workshop to understand their vision for the facility.

A major goal for the building was that it be flexible with separate areas that allow for spontaneous group activity that could be held simultaneously and not be disruptive to the other. Some key features include an indoor farmers market, expanded office space, a full-service kitchen, and a gym / stage space for large scale events.

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