Pitt-Johnstown Wellness Center University of Pittsburgh, Johnstown

Johnstown, Pa.
Construction Cost: $7.98 million
Area / Square Feet: 39,221
Occupancy Date: December 2010

The goals for this project were to find a cost-effective solution to improve congested recreation facilities and to establish an edge to campus by strengthening an ill-defined natural green space.

The solution ultimately resulted in the renovation and expansion of the existing facility to nearly double its size. Now oriented perpendicular to the existing Sports Center, it defines its edge of campus. The blending of scale, similar materials and detailing create a seamless structure. With its two-story glass entrance gallery and soaring glass wedge showcasing the climbing wall, the building exemplifies the energy of the student activities taking place within.

The revitalized center provides students, faculty and staff with a 40,000-square-foot facility that houses a cardio-fitness and strength-training area, a 30-foot climbing wall, a 1,100-square-foot exercise studio, a 15,000-square-foot multipurpose gymnasium, a 1⁄12-mile walking/running track and a golf simulator.

Foreground building elements help diminish the scale of the larger gymnasium structure and permit views of the campus from the elevated track, which is generously glazed to provide panoramic scenes of the surrounding mountains and rustic terrain.