Angelo State University (ASU) has opened the doors to a new 22,000-square foot recreation and wellness center in the heart of its San Angelo, Texas campus.
The $5.25 million, two-story Center for Human Performance, designed by SmithGroupJJR, opened in fall 2011 and provides students, staff and alumni access to enhanced fitness services and facilities.
Serving a population of more than 7,000 students, the center’s mission is to engage the campus community in recreation and wellness programs while fostering social interaction, sportsmanship, and leadership development.
Sharing space with the university’s Department of Kinesiology, the center was designed to accommodate academic and training activities in addition to athletic and fitness programs. Popular amenities include a 9,000-square foot cardio/weight room and a three-lane indoor track measuring 1/11 mile. Its most prominent features are a 40-foot tall rock climbing wall and 720-square foot bouldering structure. Firsts for the university, these elements have contributed to tripling the center’s utilization rates.
SmithGroupJJR’s designers proposed replacing the facility’s windowless block and brick north façade with a glass curtain wall. Highly utilized activity centers -- including cardio equipment, weight systems and segments of the track -- were organized along the interior perimeter. The configuration now offers increased visibility of the center’s functions and engages pedestrians traveling along the east mall.
A custom-designed 18-foot by 92-foot wall mural system spanning the upper level of the building’s interior south wall also adds visual interest and promotes recreation activities housed within.
The addition was designed in accordance with the university’s master plan, updated in 2007. A palette of variegated brown brick, cast stone highlights, and bronze metal window mullions is consistent with neighboring facilities.
Project upgrades also included life safety systems. Additionally, biometric hand scanners were installed as a security feature, allowing the university to regulate access by user groups and programming schedules.
Construction was funded through student fees. BD+C
Related Stories
Multifamily Housing | Jul 12, 2017
Midyear Rent Report: 26 states saw rental price increases in first half of 2017
The most notable rental increases are in growing markets in the South and Southwest: New Orleans, Glendale, Ariz., Houston, Reno, N.V., and Atlanta.
Giants 400 | Jul 12, 2017
Innovation abounds, but will it lead to growth for AEC Giants?
Engineering firms such as Arup, Glumac, and Thornton Tomasetti are leveraging their in-house expertise to develop products and tools for their design teams, clients, and even the competition.
Multifamily Housing | Jul 12, 2017
7 noteworthy multifamily projects: posh amenities, healthy living, plugged-in lifestyle
Zen meditation gardens, bocce courts, saltwater pools, and free drinks highlight the niceties at these new multifamily developments.
Accelerate Live! | Jul 6, 2017
Watch all 20 Accelerate Live! talks on demand
BD+C’s inaugural AEC innovation conference, Accelerate Live! (May 11, Chicago), featured talks on machine learning, AI, gaming in construction, maker culture, and health-generating buildings.
Healthcare Facilities | Jun 29, 2017
Uniting healthcare and community
Out of the many insights that night, everyone agreed that the healthcare industry is ripe for disruption and that communities contribute immensely to our health and wellness.
Architects | Jun 25, 2017
Stantec adds RNL Design to its stable, fortifying several of its business units
The engineering giant also names successor to CEO who will retire at the end of this year.
Building Team | Jun 22, 2017
Seven lessons learned on commissioning projects
Commissioning is where the rubber meets the road in terms of building design.
Sponsored | Building Team | Jun 20, 2017
Plan ahead when building in the west
Getting a project through plan review can be an unusually long process, anywhere from six months to two years.
Architects | Jun 19, 2017
Preparing to negotiate: Get your head in the game
Logical and well-planned steps to effective negotiation.
| Jun 13, 2017
Accelerate Live! talk: Is the road to the future the path of least resistance? Sasha Reed, Bluebeam (sponsored)
Bluebeam’s Sasha Reed discusses why AEC leaders should give their teams permission to responsibly break things and create ecosystems of people, process, and technology.