University of Alabama Student Activity Center at Presidential Village

Tuscaloosa, AL
Construction Cost: $32 million
Area / Square Feet: 85,000
Occupancy Date: August 2014

Located adjacent to a new 971-student housing complex, this activity center accommodates students and staff in the North Bluffs area of campus and houses five major student service amenities: a new recreation and fitness center; athletic offices and rowing team facilities; housing and residential communities offices; food service and coffee/café areas; and a lower-level storm shelter.

The facility is unified by an entry concourse that provides a striking but friendly image, while recreation users are treated to impressive views of the Black Warrior River outside. Designers were careful to blend the building’s architectural style with the classic Alabama campus vernacular, using strong two-story columns as a familiar welcome. Inside, the building’s transparency, finishes and furniture offer a clean, fresh, contemporary feel.

With nearly $1 million in weight and fitness equipment, the first and second floors feature a series of rooms and spaces devoted to strength and cardiovascular training. Just inside the entry’s glass doors is an impressive climbing wall, which rises nearly to the skylight above. The second floor also has three multipurpose courts, with one enclosed to accommodate indoor soccer. In total, the building adds about 85,000 square feet of recreation space to the university’s capacity.