CougarPlex Renovation and Addition Illinois Central College

East Peoria, Ill.
Construction Cost: $15.2 million
Area / Square Feet: 72,000
Occupancy Date: May 2011

This project embodies Illinois Central College’s goal to provide more amenities to a growing population of on-campus students. The design of the new center provides a 54,000-square-foot addition and a 9,000-square-foot remodel of the existing gymnasium.

The connections to the competition court became the driving idea behind the interiors of the facility. After entering and passing the main desk, visitors are directed through the new addition into a space that has been designed as the Hall of Fame for ICC Athletics.

To balance the new dynamic student fitness center with the existing performance court, a portion of the existing facility was removed to create a buffer between old and new. A new entrance allows students and spectators attending athletic events to move though the center of the expanded facility. The three-court gym anchors the northeastern edge of the site, separated from the existing brick gymnasium by a courtyard.

Extensive site improvements include renovations to the baseball and softball fields, where new bleachers and press boxes were provided. Additionally, a new soccer field was added east of the existing gymnasium. The project also includes master planning for a future aquatics facility and indoor baseball practice facility.