The Mary Free Bed YMCA in Grand Rapids, Mich., received Universal Design Certification last week, becoming the first facility in the world to earn that certification from the Global Universal Design Commission. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at the facility last week.
Universal design is the concept to create buildings that are accessible to everyone who uses them: the elderly and people with and without disabilities.
The 116,200-sf Mary Free Bed YMCA is located on a 36-acre campus with two pools, two group fitness centers, and two and a half gyms. It also has an indoor track, climbing wall, wheelchair softball field, and baseball and soccer fields.
Outside of athletics, the facility has a greenhouse, teaching kitchen, and learning farm. The Carol Van Andel Healthy Living Center will hold programs that teach nutrition and physical activity.
The project cost $31 million. The YMCA was designed by Progressive AE, an architecture firm based in Grand Rapids.
Related Stories
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Jul 7, 2021
Chicago’s first indoor track and field facility features a hydraulically banked track
It is the first hydraulically banked track in Illinois.
![Oceanographer John Englander talks resiliency and buildings [new on HorizonTV]](/sites/default/files/styles/list_big/public/Oceanographer%20John%20Englander%20Talks%20Resiliency%20and%20Buildings%20YT%20new_0.jpg?itok=enJ1TWJ8 "Oceanographer John Englander talks resiliency and buildings [new on HorizonTV]")
Resiliency | Jun 24, 2021
Oceanographer John Englander talks resiliency and buildings [new on HorizonTV]
New on HorizonTV, oceanographer John Englander discusses his latest book, which warns that, regardless of resilience efforts, sea levels will rise by meters in the coming decades. Adaptation, he says, is the key to future building design and construction.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Jun 16, 2021
Populous designs 9,000-seat stadium and training center for the Brisbane Lions
The project will include fields for public use.
Digital Twin | May 24, 2021
Digital twin’s value propositions for the built environment, explained
Ernst & Young’s white paper makes its cases for the technology’s myriad benefits.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | May 17, 2021
Indoor volleyball and basketball complex set for St. Louis
The project will be the largest youth volleyball and basketball facility in St. Louis.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | May 11, 2021
Total Quality Logistics Stadium completes in Cincinnati
Populous designed the project.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Apr 27, 2021
Populous completes Phase II of renovations at Georgia Tech’s Mac Nease Baseball Park at Russ Chandler Stadium
The project includes a new, year-round elite training facility.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Apr 9, 2021
AdventHealth Training Center breaks ground in Orlando
HOK designed the project.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Mar 26, 2021
Populous and SRG Partnership selected to transform Oregon State University’s Reser Stadium
Populous has recently release renderings of the project.
Market Data | Feb 24, 2021
2021 won’t be a growth year for construction spending, says latest JLL forecast
Predicts second-half improvement toward normalization next year.
