This renovation and addition merges student recreation facilities with the Department of Health and Human Performance, revitalizing a historically-significant building with a luminous new addition. Located on the main quadrangle, the highly-visible complex is an icon of the University’s vision for a sustainable, student focused campus.
The design intent was to create a cohesive whole greater than the sum of its parts. During programming, the team identified opportunities for sharing space between the recreation center and academic department, organizing them around a commons to showcase the relationship between physiology, wellness and recreation. This solution capitalized on synergies between the programs and maximized available project funds. The renovation makes creative use of existing physical resources, including the conversion of an old pool into a cistern that is left visible as a vestige of the building’s history.
The building facades facing the quad retain their historical significance and formal character, while the facades facing the town have been updated and paired with a striking transparent addition. The addition is designed with a high-performance building envelope and optimized solar exposure. It looks north over the recreational lawn that blankets the new geothermal well field and east towards the main thoroughfare, expressing UCM’s identity as a 21st century university.
This project is LEED Gold Certified.
Image Credits: Alistair Tutton Photography and Gould Evans
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