The University of Arizona Student Recreation Center

RETURN TO PROJECTS

Funded by students, the new expansion of the Student Recreation Center at the University of Arizona excels in providing student objectives for increased capacity, additional recreational program offerings, and building for a sustainable world.

The three-building, 54,000 sq.ft. expansion doubles the existing capacity for weight training and cardio exercise, increases the presence of the Outdoor Adventures program providing students, faculty, and staff opportunities for off-campus recreational expeditions, and adds a gymnasium for additional court space, not only for traditional sports such as basketball and volleyball but also for new recreational offerings such as indoor soccer with the addition of a dasher-board system surrounding the interior courts. Exterior courtyard spaces formed by the three buildings are fully utilized for recreational activities including sand volleyball and rock climbing and provides shaded spectator space for viewing these activities.

As the first LEED™ Platinum student recreation building in the United States, designed in collaboration with Sasaki Associates, the building’s relationship to the site is the essential element in reducing its impact on energy consumption and environmental pollution. Reducing the building’s environmental impact was achieved by integrating sustainable principles with the building’s design concepts such as proper positioning of opaque and transparent building elements that reduce heat gain while maximizing access to daylight and views. An innovative solution for controlling storm water pollution was also implemented by combining outdoor program activities with storm water retention, where the permeable character of the soft landing surfaces underneath both sand volleyball and rock climbing are used for retaining storm water on site.