Beauchamp Recreation & Wellness Center Renovation & Addition – University of Portland

Portland, OR
Construction Cost: $23.7 million
Area / Square Feet: 73,000
Occupancy Date: July 2015

The Beauchamp Recreation & Wellness Center balances generous program space and cutting-edge amenities while reflecting and strengthening the unique, small-school feel of the 3,900-student campus. A game-changing addition to the University of Portland campus, the Beauchamp Recreation & Wellness Center features a transparent facade to showcase the building’s many activity spaces, while exterior detailing incorporates identifiable campus brick and wood accents to ensure the building melds with existing campus architecture. 

The Beauchamp Center, located adjacent to the school’s baseball and basketball venues and near six major student residences, reinforces the existing urban grid and serves as a new anchor for the northwest corner of campus. Glazing around all sides of the building connects the indoors and outdoors, communicating the message that the building is the new heart of the campus community. 

The design team integrated “fitness neighborhoods,” making the recreation center feel more approachable, intimate and easy to navigate. Traditional spaces such as gymnasiums, exercise studios and a suspended track are enhanced with amenities that include a 32-foot-high climbing wall and an outdoor pursuits center. A functional training area features indoor and outdoor space linked by double doors. 

Judge's Comments

"The design of this facility lies in efficient planning and internal transparency through thoughtful use of materials. I appreciated the natural approach to local materials." — Jeff Penner

"This is a restrained design, but the composition is stunning." — Tracy Carusi

"Sophisticated form and choice of materials. The facility responds to the pedestrian nature of the adjacent site." — Dave Larson