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Cougarplex Fitness Center
Cougarplex Fitness Center
1, College Drive, East Peoria, IL, United States
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Cougarplex Fitness Center
1, College Drive, East Peoria, IL, United States
Type
YEAR
2012
SIZE
25,000 sqft - 100,000 sqft
BUDGET
$10M - 50M
The Illinois Central College (ICC) embarked on a path that few community colleges pursue. ICC defined a goal for itself in that as the campus
strives to provide more amenities to the growing population of on-campus students, the new CougarPlex Athletic and Recreation center will become the center piece for the improvement to student life. The design of the new center provides a 54,000 SF new addition and 9,000 SF of remodeling to the existing gymnasium building. The 3-court gymnasium anchors the northeastern edge of the site, sitting adjacent to the existing brick gymnasium. The newly designed program areas include a new lobby/entry, café, group exercise rooms, student locker rooms, exercise equipment area, jogging track as well as administration and athletics support areas. In addition, the renovation included the addition of locker rooms for visiting teams and coaches for both men’s and women’s athletics.
The connections to the competition court became the driving idea behind the interiors of the facility. After entering and passing the main desk, visitors are directed thru the new addition into a link that has been designed as the Hall of Fame for ICC Athletics. Trophies and memorabilia are proudly displayed for all to see. An additional interior element is the use of ICC blue, which becomes the hallmark feature of the facility including the use of a backlit resin panel that extends from the vestibule to the reception desk. This panel is incorporated and becomes a key feature of the trophy case.
The exterior design challenge was to bring to life a dynamic student fitness center which was to connect to an existing performance court building built in the 1970s. The strategy pursued was the removal a portion of the existing facility which would then be used as the buffer between the existing structure and the new facility. An additional entrance was created within this new space to enable students and spectators attending athletic events to move though the center, between the old and new structures, further reinforcing the synergies between the two. The integration of these two structures resulted in an additional benefit which was the creation of an inner courtyard. The courtyard is planned to be heavily planted with native vegetation by the university’s horticulture students in the coming year. It is also intended to be available for outdoor classes while
maintaining the potential for a Zen garden.
Given the compact site and inability to remove any adjacent parking, the new addition takes on the geometry of its context, bending and wrapping through the site to maximize the program, as well as imbed itself with its user’s path.
Sustainability was at the forefront of the design, and therefore an extensive green roof was utilized on the bent bar of the structure while all existing systems were upgraded to include more energy efficient units. Additionally, the existing athletic arena was re-cladded and fully insulated to ensure it met standards for energy efficiencies and performance. A LEED Silver rating is targeted for the project.
Additionally, external field improvements were also made. Renovations to the baseball and softball fields included new bleachers and press boxes. A new soccer field was created east of the existing gymnasium. The project also included master planning for the future addition of an aquatics facility and an indoor baseball practice facility.
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