The original facility’s overwhelming success, coupled with the city’s population growth, compelled the citizens of Altoona to pass a referendum supporting an addition to the Altoona Community Services Campus. The addition was completed in two phases, ultimately quadrupling weight/fitness space and adding three handball/racquetball courts, a youth gymnasium, fitness offices and a youth coordinator’s office.
The focus of the design was to create exciting, inviting and environmentally friendly spaces. Extensive use of natural light helps minimize the need for supplemental lighting during daytime hours. For example, the youth gymnasium roof has a series of translucent skylights, allowing natural light alone to illuminate the space. Large west-facing windows have exterior shading devices to control direct sunlight and glare on the gymnasium floor. At night, clerestory glass in the cardio portion of the weight/fitness area provides an attractive glow to approaching visitors.
The addition’s exterior design continues the use of the existing patterns and palette of materials, while introducing smooth metal panels and exposed concrete. Metal panel walls were confined to the cardio portion of the weight/fitness area, giving it desired prominence. This combination of materials results in a unified yet contemporary expression of the prevalence of technology in modern cardio fitness equipment.
Power Center Duquesne University
