Architects show updated AJ Farm event center design with indoor-outdoor layout and expanded parking

Architects from Shape Architecture presented updated designs for an event center at the AJ Farm during the Gladstone City Council meeting, describing a vaulted, light-filled “great hall” intended for weddings and other gatherings and a south patio that opens to the property’s eastern landscape.

The architects said the design centers the new building on the existing barn site, emphasizes an indoor‑outdoor connection to the east, and groups service spaces—kitchen, storage, restrooms, and administrative office—toward the north and west to keep event space uncluttered. They told council members the main hall is flexible and was designed to accommodate more than 200 people, with a bridal suite and groom’s room tucked off the event floor and tri‑folding doors linking the hall to the patio.

Why it matters: council and staff have been planning the AJ Farm event center as a municipal project that will host public and private events; the layout, material palette and circulation details shown to the council shape future construction, operational needs and maintenance costs.

Key elements and supporting details…