This recreation facility is comprised of both an extensive alteration to an antiquated practice gym, and a major addition to the 9,000-seat Robins Center basketball arena.  The mission was to create an open, inviting student recreation center that has a distinct and separate identity from the adjacent varsity athletic facility.  The project is combination of the new gym addition, installation of a mezzanine in the existing practice gym and various alterations of existing athletic facilities.  Combined with the limited existing recreation space, provides a total of 90,000 square feet of recreational and wellness space.

Exterior design focused on defining a visually strong entry that collected both pedestrian students entering from adjacent residence halls and off-campus users entering from an existing parking lot.  To provide appropriate scale and identity, a gently arching Peristyle structure was employed to connect the wings of an “L” shaped building footprint that was dictated by site constraints.  Additionally, the large gym and fitness spaces were detailed with expansive areas of glass curtainwall in a minimalist style.  The design creates a simple background to the prominent Peristyle entry while also providing abundant daylight, visual transparency to interior activities and views from interior gym and fitness spaces to a new, green entrance courtyard.