Warrior Recreation Center – University of Hawaii at Manoa

Honolulu, HI
Construction Cost: $30.8 million
Area / Square Feet: 66,000
Occupancy Date: April 2014

Sitting at the foot of O’ahu’s Ko’olau Mountain Range, the student-funded Warrior Recreation Center seamlessly integrates a new 66,000-square-foot recreation facility with renovated historic campus buildings to create a reinvigorated heart for the University of Hawaii at Manoa campus.

A principle design goal was to create an integrated student center and recreation complex that develops synergy between student services, activities and events, as well as food service, retail and recreation uses, to foster both daytime and evening interaction between students, faculty and staff. To achieve this, the design team worked to create a visual connection between spaces. Two buildings were removed, while two others were renovated to include recreation functions. The renovated buildings form a gateway into the courtyard, creating a connection to the larger campus.

The facility accommodates a plethora of leisure, intramural and recreational sports with its two-court gym, weight and strength training areas, cardiovascular activities, multilane upper-level indoor track and, within the two renovated buildings, multipurpose rooms for dance, conference or general classroom use.

The building achieved LEED Gold certification through adaptive reuse of resources, daylighting, natural ventilation, green roofs, solar PV panels and rainwater harvesting.

Judge's Comments

"The amount of natural light that floods the main gym from all directions creates a stunning and beautiful space. All of the operable windows throughout the building provide opportunities for natural ventilation." — Philip Laird

"This facility takes full advantage of Honolulu’s environment to create truly impressive spaces that tie to the outdoors very well." — Dave Larson

"The student-centered response is commendable. Extensive glazing and daylighting spills light into all aspects of the plan." — Jeff Penner