University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Student Recreation and Wellness Center
Oshkosh, Wis.
Year in Showcase: 2009
Project Description
The first new building on the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh campus in more than three decades, the 101,400-square-foot Student Recreation and Wellness Center provides a pleasant, supportive and convenient destination for students, faculty and staff to exercise. The building includes a three-court gym, a MAC, a jogging track, a fitness center, a climbing wall, group activity rooms and golf simulators. A strength training theater is shared with intercollegiate athletics.
The facility’s open design permits dynamic interaction between activity spaces and allows for easy staff supervision. The fitness center and second-floor jogging track and cardio areas offer panoramic views to an adjacent river and the campus. The building’s riverside location forges a strong connection with one of the university’s most attractive natural amenities and provides the campus with a symbolic “front door.” An entrance beacon is linked to the campus core by a well-lit walk/bike path.
Sustainability strategies included harnessing energy from Wisconsin’s wind and biomass resources, specifying indigenous materials (limestone at the building’s base was quarried 14 miles from campus) and preserving the river’s ecological health.
Judges' Comments
Great entry that certainly identifies the building. Very comfortable feel in the lounge and lobby; the scale of the interiors makes the building feel smaller than it is. Great value for the money spent.
— Tom Seymour
Warm lounge and social spaces — an extremely inviting building that makes it worth coming in from the cold.
— David Dymecki
The prow at the main entry is striking, but the interior of the building is the strength of this project. The student lounge is very comfortable and inviting, and the spaces are colorful and dynamic.
— Bob McDonald
Project Details
Associate Architect: Cannon Design; Chicago, Ill.
Architect of Record: Potter Lawson; Madison, Wis.
Construction Cost: $13.7 million
Square Feet: 101,400
Occupancy: September 2007
Vendors
Basketball Backboards/Supports:
Porter Athletic Inc.
Climbing Walls:
Entre Prises Climbing Walls
Dashers:
Athletica
Divider Curtains:
Porter Athletic Inc.
Flooring, Aerobics:
Mondo
Flooring, Fitness Center:
Mondo
Lighting:
Louis Poulsen Lighting Inc.
Lighting:
Sportlite Inc.
Lockers:
Republic Storage Systems Co.
Rowers:
Concept2 CTS Inc.
Scoreboard/Timing Systems:
Daktronics Inc.
Scoreboards/Timing Systems:
Daktronics Inc.
Soccer Goals:
Keeper Goals
Stationary Bikes:
Direct Fitness Solutions
Strength Equipment:
Power Lift
Strength Equipment:
Power Systems Inc.
Surfaces, Basketball:
Aacer Flooring LLC
Surfaces, Multipurpose:
Mondo
Surfaces, Track:
Mondo
Treadmills:
Life Fitness
Volleyball Nets and Standards:
Schelde North America
