Designed with extensive input from the community, the Gypsum Recreation Center has quickly become a popular destination within this community of 5,000, located in the Eagle Valley near the Vail and Beaver Creek ski resorts. As a former ranch, the site offered existing buildings that have been converted to municipal use. As a result, the new center needed to fit within the agrarian architectural style that reflects the town?s understated aesthetics.
The lounge area features leather chairs, games and a TV, and serves as a community meeting spot. A community living room area with a caf? and coffee bar is separated from the lounge area by a large fireplace. A layered metal light fixture, designed by a Colorado artist, runs the length of the facility, doubling as the signage fittings.
All age groups and skills are served by a multiuse pool and gymnasium, aerobics room and dedicated gymnastics area, among other features. An anchor of the GRC is its centrally located climbing wall, which caters to every skill level and offers climbs that mimic those in the Gypsum area. Expansion of the center is planned to include a competition lap pool and racquetball courts.