This LEED Gold-targeted center unites once-dispersed facilities into a holistic home for wellness. It replaces a 1967 windowless concrete gym — where plans for a pool were never realized — that constrained the school’s goal of supporting world-class, active learning environments.
The new building synthesizes multiple program elements, including two pools, and helps students advance in Cañada’s renowned movement studies, competitive sports, and fitness programs. The center offers a general-public membership option to use facilities operating alongside those for the college population.
Amid stunning natural surroundings, extensive exterior glazing offers ample daylighting and expansive views across the hills and over the town of Woodside. The building’s programming is spread across two stories topped by a 30,000-square-foot activated roof with running track and multi-use areas affording a panoramic, 360-degree vista. In moving key uses away from conditioned spaces and onto the roof, designers supported physical health while expanding affordable square footage and lowering the facility’s carbon footprint. An iconic roof canopy, inspired by nearby mountainous ridgelines, extends beyond the building face to create shade, offsetting heat gain considerably.
QUICK FACTS
LEAD ARCHITECT: ELS Architecture and Urban Design
AQUATIC DESIGN CONSULTANT: Water Technology Inc.
COMPONENTS
- Instructional pool
- Competition pool
- Spectator seating
SUPPLIERS
Chemical Control Systems: BECS Technology Inc.
Lane Markers : Competitor Swim
Ladders/Grab Bars, Starting Blocks: Spectrum Aquatics
ADA Lifts, Covers: S.R.Smith
Balboa Park Pool
