University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Student Recreation and Wellness Center

Construction Cost: $13.7 million
Area / Square Feet: 101,400
Occupancy Date: September 2007

The first new building on the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh campus in more than three decades, the 101,400-square-foot Student Recreation and Wellness Center provides a pleasant, supportive and convenient destination for students, faculty and staff to exercise. The building includes a three-court gym, a MAC, a jogging track, a fitness center, a climbing wall, group activity rooms and golf simulators. A strength training theater is shared with intercollegiate athletics.

The facility’s open design permits dynamic interaction between activity spaces and allows for easy staff supervision. The fitness center and second-floor jogging track and cardio areas offer panoramic views to an adjacent river and the campus. The building’s riverside location forges a strong connection with one of the university’s most attractive natural amenities and provides the campus with a symbolic “front door.” An entrance beacon is linked to the campus core by a well-lit walk/bike path.

Sustainability strategies included harnessing energy from Wisconsin’s wind and biomass resources, specifying indigenous materials (limestone at the building’s base was quarried 14 miles from campus) and preserving the river’s ecological health.

Judge's Comments

Great entry that certainly identifies the building. Very comfortable feel in the lounge and lobby; the scale of the interiors makes the building feel smaller than it is. Great value for the money spent.
— Tom Seymour

Warm lounge and social spaces — an extremely inviting building that makes it worth coming in from the cold.
— David Dymecki

The prow at the main entry is striking, but the interior of the building is the strength of this project. The student lounge is very comfortable and inviting, and the spaces are colorful and dynamic.
— Bob McDonald