The new Utah State University Aggie Recreation Center was envisioned as a “new hub for the student community,” with a focus on play, wellness and discovery to enhance Aggie life. Implementing sustainable features was important for officials to help create an “iconic building.”
The site is centrally located on a busy pedestrian pathway, west of the existing HPER building and north of Nelson Field House. The area is surrounded by the Legacy Fields, Spectrum Athletic Complex and other fields used for outdoor recreational programs - which magnifies the presence of student activity in the area creating an energized recreation core. This provides an excellent opportunity to enhance the connectivity between students and the greater campus community.
As USU has a strong tie to the nearby mountains and canyons, the interior space was organized with a central canyon theme that is expressed longitudinally through the building as well as vertically through all three levels.The site also has expansive views of Logan Canyon and the Bear River Range to the east, the Bear River Valley to the northwest and Wellsville Range to the southwest. Taking advantage of these views has informed the building’s program organization, form and site orientation. By incorporating all of the various site dynamics, the Student Recreation and Wellness Center will become rooted in the greater context of the Cache Valley and will become a physical and visual gateway for the entire campus. The form of the building is designed to be in harmony with the surrounding context in both scale and material (including two and three story buildings clad in brick veneer, metal panels, and architectural concrete).
Consideration of timeless, durable, and low-maintenance exterior materials will be imperative to ensure a long-lasting building for the University and the students. At the same time, the architectural form was composed in such a way that it inspires and expresses the various activities within as well as echo the “stretch and bend” of human body in motion.
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