David Braley Athletic and Recreation Centre - Mohawk College

Hamilton, ON
Construction Cost: $23 million (Canadian)
Area / Square Feet: 64,000
Occupancy Date: August 2013

The David Braley Athletic and Recreation Complex has been designed as part of an extensive master-plan renewal effort at Mohawk College. The building plays a significant role within this redevelopment in activating a new precinct along the west end of the campus. It houses a large triple gymnasium, a fitness center with an integrated running track, group exercise and spinning rooms, as well as change rooms, meeting rooms, ancillary spaces, administrative areas, a café and a sports medicine clinic.

The building is distinguished along the plaza edge by a continuous band of floor-to-ceiling glazing, which extends around the upper level of the fitness center and across the face of an integrated bridge component connected to the adjacent student association building. Fritted with a graphic pattern and LED lighting, this element acts as a giant banner wall and assists in solar shading along the eastern and southern exposures. The open interior features timeless materials, a field palette countered with strategic use of color and branding, and abundant glazing affording transparency.

The project design targets LEED Gold certification. The facility is connected to a central energy plant with future co-gen and biomass capabilities, establishing a new benchmark for environmental sustainability for the college.