The recently unveiled Recreation and Athletic Center at St. Edward’s University has been designed with a focus on holistic well-being.
The 12,400-sf addition to the existing facility, originally built in the mid 1980s, features new fitness and wellness facilities such as a yoga studio, a wellness center, and a meditation center with an openness and connection to the environment that is centered in the middle of the campus.
Credit Andrea Calo.
The addition wraps the campus-facing side of the facility and is for use by the entire student body and faculty rather than for athletes only. A portion of the building extends out toward the heart of the campus and incorporates outdoor “stadium type” seating facing a new plaza where performance and presentation will take place. The plaza was created where a parking lot once existed and creates a new pedestrian-oriented active space.
See Also: Sacred Heart University to build $60 million hockey arena
The yoga/studio space is the focal point of the new facility and has been designed as a glass cube that floats above the entry plaza. It is located at one end of the main campus green and provides an inviting new presence at a corner of the campus that was previously dark and under-occupied.
Credit Andrea Calo.
Credit Andrea Calo.
Chelsea Purgahn/St. Edward’s University ®.
Related Stories
University Buildings | Jun 14, 2023
Calif. State University’s new ‘library-plus’ building bridges upper and lower campuses
A three-story “library-plus” building at California State University, East Bay (CSUEB) that ties together the upper and lower campuses was recently completed. The 100,977-sf facility, known as the Collaborative Opportunities for Research & Engagement (“CORE”) Building, is one of the busiest libraries in the CSU system. The previous library served 1.2 million visitors annually.
Higher Education | Jun 14, 2023
Designing higher education facilities without knowing the end users
A team of architects with Page offers five important factors to consider when designing spaces for multiple—and potentially changing—stakeholders.
University Buildings | Jun 9, 2023
Cornell’s new information science building will foster dynamic exchange of ideas and quiet, focused research
Construction recently began on Cornell University’s new 135,000-sf building for the Cornell Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science (Cornell Bowers CIS). The structure will bring together the departments of Computer Science, Information Science, and Statistics and Data Science for the first time in one complex.
Student Housing | Jun 5, 2023
The power of student engagement: How on-campus student housing can increase enrollment
Studies have confirmed that students are more likely to graduate when they live on campus, particularly when the on-campus experience encourages student learning and engagement, writes Design Collaborative's Nathan Woods, AIA.
Urban Planning | Jun 2, 2023
Designing a pedestrian-focused city in downtown Phoenix
What makes a city walkable? Shepley Bulfinch's Omar Bailey, AIA, LEED AP, NOMA, believes pedestrian focused cities benefit most when they're not only easy to navigate, but also create spaces where people can live, work, and play.
Higher Education | May 24, 2023
Designing spaces that promote enrollment
Alyson Mandeville, Higher Education Practice Leader, argues that colleges and universities need to shift their business model—with the help of designers.
University Buildings | May 17, 2023
New UC Irvine health sciences building supports aim to become national model for integrative health
The new College of Health Sciences Building and Nursing & Health Sciences Hall at the University of California Irvine supports the institution’s goal of becoming a national model for integrative health. The new 211,660-sf facility houses nursing, medical doctorate, pharmacy, philosophy, and public health programs in a single building.
University Buildings | May 11, 2023
New ‘bold and twisting’ building consolidates School of Continuing Studies at York University
The design of a new building that consolidates York University’s School of Continuing Studies into one location is a new architectural landmark at the Toronto school’s Keele Campus. “The design is emblematic of the school’s identity and culture, which is centered around accelerated professional growth in the face of a continuously evolving labor market,” according to a news release from Perkins&Will.
Sustainability | May 11, 2023
Let's build toward a circular economy
Eric Corey Freed, Director of Sustainability, CannonDesign, discusses the values of well-designed, regenerative buildings.
Digital Twin | May 8, 2023
What AEC professionals should know about digital twins
A growing number of AEC firms and building owners are finding value in implementing digital twins to unify design, construction, and operational data.
