Blue Ash Recreation Center Renovation and Expansion

Blue Ash, Ohio
Construction Cost: $12.8 million
Area / Square Feet: 120,000
Occupancy Date: May 2009

A priority throughout the planning stages of the Blue Ash Recreation Center project was creating a fluid tie-in between new and existing spaces. The facility now includes 76,000 new/renovated square feet and 44,000 square feet of space that was left untouched or lightly renovated.

The welcome desk, designed to be the heart of the facility, is placed under an existing skylight that fills the space with natural light. A separate indoor check-in point was created for the outdoor pool. The main focus of the project is the two-story, 24,000-square-foot fitness center, which includes two studio rooms and a 1/10-mile elevated track. Other features include a climbing wall, gymnasiums, locker rooms, saunas and a whirlpool, meeting rooms, a café/lounge and a game room.

One of the main elements that provides an aesthetic basis for the renovation and expansion is the masonry detail that complements both the existing building and new construction. The brick format was continued in the patterning of the floor tile. Light wood tones and polished blue surfaces were used as accents within the space. Translucency, both horizontally as well as vertically, reinforce this concept. This is all paired with a composition of large graphics that bring a slight push of color into a neutral palette.