Campbell County Recreation Center

Gillette, Wyo.
Construction Cost: $51.9 million
Area / Square Feet: 184,322
Occupancy Date: April 2010

Rich in energy reserves and located near Devils Tower National Monument, burgeoning Campbell County sought to build a facility that will meet the anticipated need for program space. Concurrently, the school district had a need for a sports training and event venue. Together, the entities constructed a multifunctional center that reflects the unique locale.

Inside, the orientation infuses light into key areas, while clerestory glass at the edges allows the sun to penetrate all spaces. The palette of sage, buff, azure and ochre was derived directly from the landscape. Exterior materials work their way inside vast glass planes, creating visual continuity. Transparency throughout the facility is augmented by graphic displays, a stamped and colored concrete pool deck, simulated-hide-upholstered furniture, sculpted elements that define spaces and contemporary metal artwork.

Sandwiched between the Big Horn Mountains and the Black Hills, the Powder River Basin is characterized by the stretching grasslands that give way to outbursts of canted bluffs against the clear, unbroken sky. Inspired by the shifting pattern of light and texture across the landscape, the building’s massing and exterior materials reflect those rhythms. Angular and curving elements break down large masses and solid forms, while the climbing tower centerpiece looms high above the entry canopy.