ICYMI: Swan Dive Design Studio Transforms a Sam’s Club into a Community Hub and Pickleball Destination

This ICYMI episode explores how Swan Dive Design Studio transformed an 88,000-square-foot big-box shell into Relish Food Hall + Pickleball, a lively adaptive reuse project that blends sport, dining, events and community connection.
May 4, 2026
Listen on Apple buttonListen on Spotify buttonListen on iHeartRadio buttonListen on Podbean button

In this In Case You Missed It episode of the I Hear Design podcast, we revisit an interiors+sources article by Janelle Penny on Relish Food Hall + Pickleball, an 88,000-square-foot adaptive reuse project in Louisville, Colorado, designed by Swan Dive Design Studio. Once a former Sam’s Club (and briefly used as a community center after the 2021 Marshall Fire), the building has been reimagined as a year-round destination with 19 indoor pickleball courts, two outdoor courts, eight locally driven food concepts, a coffee shop, full bar, event spaces, conference areas, outdoor patio and game lawn.

The episode looks at how Swan Dive used zoning, circulation, acoustical separation, playful material references, and strategic indoor-outdoor connections to make a massive big-box space feel welcoming, human-scaled, and community-centered. It’s a story about adaptive reuse, design constraints, bold client trust and the growing role of experiential destinations in giving underused retail buildings a second life.

About the Author

Janelle Penny

Contributing Writer, interiors+sources; Head of Content, BUILDINGS

Janelle Penny is a Contributing Writer for interiors+sources and is Head of Content for BUILDINGS. She has more than a decade of experience in journalism, with a special emphasis on covering facilities. She aims to deliver practical, actionable content for her readers.

Sign up for our eNewsletters
Get the latest news and updates

Voice Your Opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of I+S Design, create an account today!