Holistic Recreation Complex

by Jonathan McGaha | March 31, 2014 12:00 am

The University of California Riverside in Riverside, Calif., is expanding its Student Recreation Center to address the needs of a growing and evolving campus, while promoting the future success of its recreation program. Designed by Cannon Design, Los Angeles, construction is underway on the new 91,892-square-foot facility that will provide additional recreation and support spaces, while fully integrating with the existing building to create a holistic recreation complex. The $32.5 million project involves approximately 9,000 square feet of renovations and more than 80,000 square feet of new construction.

“The cohesive addition will engage the entire site, including the open areas, and encourage the full use of its facilities for student health and well-being,” says Carl Hampson, AIA, LEED, senior vice president at Cannon Design.

The center’s design will be responsive to the climate and address views, solar orientation, future expansion, and existing campus circulation in its site strategy. “The entire site will be transformed for student enjoyment, fitness and interaction, and the new Recreation Center complex will be a campus destination and a point of attraction for events,” Hampson adds.

Located at the north boundary of the main campus near two major streets, the area falls within the natural Arroyo zone that stretches across the Box Springs Mountains to the east. A proposed future pedestrian mall connecting the recreation center to the center of campus will aid heavy foot traffic from student housing to the east. This intersection will bring together outdoor activity areas, such as the leisure and lap swimming pool, sand volley court, tennis courts and open grass area, which will blend into the topography of the gently sloping site. “The configuration of the addition will allow continued access to the existing arena from both the east and west while still providing a meaningful conditioned connection to the existing building,” Hampson says.

Hampson explains the building massing will be characterized by a robust second floor bridge connecting the existing recreation center with the majority of fitness components raised to the second level to provide views in all directions, including the pool to the south and the mountains to the east. The undulating second floor plan will be an open and contiguous space with a variety of view orientations and large visual connections to the lower level. The smaller ground floor will feature extensive shading from the larger upper level, while being characterized by an open glazed fitness area that is loosely defined by the enclosed masonry volumes of the MAC gym and a circular locker room. Centralized vertical circulation will allow convenient access to program areas in both the existing and new buildings.

The building’s orientation and shape allows preservation of open spaces on the site. A covered breezeway between the two buildings will connect the entry lobbies of each, while serving as a gateway to the to the existing arena entrance, the new MAC gym lobby, and an active courtyard featuring a variety of events spaces, gathering areas, and natural and native landscaping features.

Innovative sunshading strategies will be responsive and appropriate to the specific sun condition unique to the site, Hampson says. The college’s blend brick will be featured prominently on the predominantly opaque volumes at the ground level and at the connection point to the existing recreation center. The upper level will be clad in a combination of storefront glazing system from Kawneer Co. Inc., Norcross, Ga., and metal panels, while featuring a unique combination of low-E glazing, vertical screening devices and overhangs used in various combinations and proportions to provide sun protection for the multiple solar orientations of the undulating façade.

The project will use AEP Span’s Prestige Series metal wall panels for the exterior cladding, and Box Rib Wall for the mechanical screen, along with 1/8-inch perforated aluminum panel in an undulating sunscreen from California Panel Systems, El Cajon, Calif. Expected to be completed later this year, the project is designed to achieve LEED Gold, and reach a 30 percent reduction over California’s title 24 requirements.

University of California Riverside Student Recreation Center Expansion, Riverside, Calif.

Owner: University of California, Riverside[1]

Architect: CannonDesign[2], Los Angeles

General contractor: C.W. Driver[3], Pasadena, Calif.

Metal wall panels: AEP Span, Fontana, Calif.,
www.aepspan.com[4]

Perforated aluminum panels/sunshades: California Panel Systems, El Cajon, Calif., www.calpanelsystems.com[5]

Storefront glazing: Kawneer Co. Inc., Norcross, Ga., www.kawneer.com[6]

Renderings: Cannon Design

Source URL: https://www.metalarchitecture.com/articles/holistic-recreation-complex/

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