Burdick Hall Campus Recreation Expansion

Towson, MD
Construction Cost: 38038597
Area / Square Feet: 105250
Occupancy Date: January 2018

The Burdick expansion and renovation project fulfills several goals of the Towson University Master Plan, transforming the existing shared academic and recreation building into a vibrant and visible hub of student activity in the heart of the student life precinct and the broader campus.

Planned for completion in 2020, a new plaza is designed to connect the Burdick addition with the union expansion. A major north-south public corridor connects the main entrance of the new facility with the Kinesiology Department of the College of Health Professions. On the second level, the addition completes a prominent exterior elevated pedestrian highway. Overlooking the outdoor recreation fields to the south, the accessible new walkway is an important component of the campus ADA transition plan that connects the east and west ends of campus and fosters collaboration between student life programs and the academic classrooms and research labs. A commitment to connectivity ensured a unified response between both the architecture and the landscape.

Significant site utility construction made it necessary for the building plan to be both cost-effective and efficient. As a result, the design focused on creating energy-filled spaces that could be utilized in a variety of ways as opposed to traditional, inefficient corridors. In addition, the previous weight room was transformed into a modern, open workspace suite for the recreation administration department. The building footprint was minimized by stacking the program, helping accomplish the university’s goal of a denser, more pedestrian-friendly campus.