Cleveland State University - Recreation Center
Cleveland, OH
Year in Showcase: 2007
Project Description
Cleveland State University’s new
recreation center was designed to
be a “building without walls” to both reinvigorate
student activity and counteract
the prevailing perception of the CSU campus
as one of unwelcoming concrete
buildings. To maximize its impact, the
recreation center’s activity spaces interconnect,
engaging students, faculty and
visitors in the activities taking place
within.
Capitalizing on its location at a campus
crossroads, the facility balances seemingly
contradictory needs of security and
visibility. Consistent with the campus
master plan, the building creates a new
gateway to the campus as it engages the
adjacent street and fills a gap in the
urban context. In contrast to most campus
buildings — which do not engage the
ground because they are set on concrete
plinths — the recreation center is broken
into components sensitive to pedestrian
and vehicular scales. Exterior materials
such as brick and stone are brought
into the main lobby, which features
large expanses of glass and integrates
with the campus-wide pedestrian skywalk
system. Passing through the
recreation center at its top level, the
skywalk offers views across and down
into the main gymnasium, elevated
running track, multiactivity court and
multipurpose rooms. The triple-height,
open floor plan is suffused with daylight
filtered through skylights, roof monitors
and clerestories.
In seeking LEED® certification, the
design team integrated several sustainable
strategies, including stormwater management
to reduce runoff; low albedo roofing;
use of native plant materials, waterless
urinals and other water-saving devices;
and specification of locally manufactured materials with recycled content.
Project Details
Architect of Record: Weber Murphy Fox; Cleveland, Ohio
Associate Architect
: Sasaki Associates Inc. - Watertown, Mass.
Construction Cost: $29.8 million
Square Feet: 130,000
Occupancy: August 2006
Vendors
Basketball Backboards/Supports:
Spalding
Court Panels/Glass:
Court Co., The
Divider Curtains:
Spalding
Elliptical Equipment:
Cybex International Inc.
Elliptical Equipment:
Precor Incorporated
Entertainment Systems:
Denon Electronics (USA) Inc.
Floor Finishes:
Robbins Sports Surfaces
Flooring:
Dal-Tile Corp.
Flooring, Aerobics:
Robbins Sports Surfaces
Flooring, Fitness Center:
Tuflex Rubber Flooring
Lighting:
Sportlite Inc.
Lockers:
Art Metal Products
Rehabilitation/Testing Units:
SCIFIT Systems Inc.
Rowers:
Concept2 Inc.
Shower/Toilet Partitions:
General Partitions Mfg. Co.
Skylights:
Structures Unlimited Inc.
Stair Climbers:
Cybex International Inc.
Stair Climbers:
Star Trac
Stationary Bikes:
Cybex International Inc.
Strength Equipment:
Cybex International Inc.
Surface:
Robbins Sports Surfaces
Surfaces, Basketball:
Robbins Sports Surfaces
Surfaces, Track:
Robbins Sports Surfaces
Treadmills:
Cybex International Inc.
Treadmills:
Star Trac
Volleyball Nets and Standards:
Spalding
