Originally completed in 1994, the University of California, Riverside’s recreation center supported the campus’s needs for athletics and recreation at that time. Since then, the overall campus population has increased in number and diversity, and student desires and expectations have shifted significantly. While the original facility was designed to accommodate an expansion of gym space, there was no future planning for more group fitness, weight and cardio training and social connections.
The successful design solution involved “flipping” the plan — elevating major fitness activities in the expansion to the second level and creating a strong link uniting the existing and new areas of the building into a single facility. This larger second story created an engaging area for individual fitness and room for an indoor jogging track, taking advantage of views to the mountains surrounding the campus. The ground level includes a second facility entry, a service desk, a two-story climbing wall, free weight areas, a MAC, a demonstration kitchen, a classroom that opens to the pool deck, and lockers serving the new recreation pool and exterior activity spaces.
The renovated and expanded recreation center has become a must-visit hub for students and recruits that expands recreational programming, introduces new amenities, frees athletic spaces for student-athletes and stands out for its architectural design. Since the center opened, UCR has realized a 68 percent increase in its overall usage and participation rates, while achieving LEED-Gold certification and exceeding California’s strict Title 24 energy mandate by 30 percent.
