Union City Sports Center

Union City, CA
Construction Cost: $11.7 million
Area / Square Feet: 32,000
Occupancy Date: June 2006

Occupying the site of a former meat packing plant, the Union City Sports Center has quickly become a hub of community life for this Bay Area city. The facility provides a state-of-the-art family fitness center, aerobics studio, gymnasium, childcare center and locker rooms, as well as a large, dividable, multipurpose classroom that the city council now uses for evening meetings. A synthetic gym surface was specified to not only accommodate open and league play, but special-event rentals, too. One of the key goals of the design was accessibility, and the center accommodates a number of programs for residents with special needs, including quad rugby and therapeutic training.

A low exterior profile complements the center’s immediate surroundings. The taller mass of the 12,000-square foot gym is flanked on three sides with lower volumes that are consistent with the neighborhood’s planning guidelines. The building is organized around a tall, daylit central corridor, which simplifies user orientation. Upon entering, large impact-resistant windows offer views into the gymnasium, and the lobby’s single point of control affords unobstructed sightlines to both ends of the central spine.

Natural light enters through windows at the upper reaches of the gym on all four sides. A gently arched acoustical metal deck ceiling is supported by simple steel trusses, lending an expansive yet traditional feel to the interior space. From the outside, the soaring arch seems to fl oat over the entry to the sports center, marking it with a sense of occasion.