With its prominent location on campus and the strategic use of multiple entryways and connective walkways, the center serves as a campus hub for student life and community wellness. Through the interactive design, the building has become emblematic of the campus as a diverse but connected community.
Special attention was given to environmentally sensitive strategies such as water savings, energy efficiency, natural lighting and low-maintenance landscaping. Carefully integrated windows, translucent panels and curtainwall systems were used in combination with vaulted roof forms to allow natural light to reach deep into interior spaces, reducing glare and the need for artificial lighting throughout the LEED Gold-certified facility. Environmentally friendly bathrooms, water-conserving landscaping and pedestrian/bicycle-oriented access further illustrate the facility’s adherence to green building principles.
The heart of the center is the 750-seat ice rink. A sports pub overlooking the rink and lobbies on two levels provide additional social spaces. Encompassing nearly 15,000 square feet, the fitness center was designed in zones to allow both academic and individual fitness users to simultaneously and efficiently participate in distinctly different programs.
The building combines dynamic, shallow, arched roof forms with simple, flat roof forms to emphasize entries and primary spaces. Translucent glass wall systems are associated with the arched roofs, while more traditional punched window systems are associated with the masonry walls of the flat-roofed elements.
Washington Sports Club
