Fairmont State University

Fairmont, WV
Construction Cost: $22 million
Area / Square Feet: 145,000
Occupancy Date: December 2004

The Student Activities Center at Fairmont State University meets two distinct needs for the campus: It provides a state-of-the-art recreation center, as well as a contemporary student union with the latest student-life amenities. The facility includes an indoor pool and running track, a gymnasium, a multi-activity center, a weight and fitness center, aerobics and cycling studios, and locker rooms for men, women and families. In addition, a student dining hall with a market-style food court and kitchen accommodates 600 students, and there is also a conference center, computer labs and classrooms, a convenience store, a photocopy and mail center, a campus bookstore, a student lounge and coffee shop, and a police and security center.

Located in the middle of campus, the new facility features a wide, multistory ?Main Street? environment. The naturally lit atrium space offers a logical route for students on their way to and from classrooms, and columns lining the atrium are symbolic of the grand old trees that exist on the campus grounds.

Primarily a new-construction project, the center is attached to the newly renovated Coldbank gymnasium that now houses student-life administration offices and staff.