In 2018, the historically all-female university became co-educational, ushering in a period of transformation in which it worked to incorporate men into its programs, increase its number of varsity sports, and expand its offerings to the wider campus.
The school engaged JCJ to renovate and expand its existing athletic centre to better accommodate the growing student body into their various athletic and social programs.
The new 31,277 sq ft facility focuses on health and wellness, and serves as a multifunctional nexus of student activity that extends beyond traditional athletic programs.
JCJ’s design solution signals the institution's commitment to reinvention, reconciling the traditional red brick colonial aesthetic of the existing campus buildings with a modern and dynamic new facility.
The resulting design marries the red brick materiality and yellow doorways that are a hallmark of all buildings on campus with sleek and modern glass forms, clean lines, cantilevers, and projections. The facility as a whole establishes an energetic visual focus at the end of the campus.
The program hinged on the creation of a full NCAA regulation basketball court, but goes far beyond that, as the school’s leadership wanted a facility that would be beneficial for the full campus community and provide social opportunities outside of athletics. The main lobby serves as both a ticketing and concessions area for game nights and a comfortable space with high-top tables and casual furniture for students to study or socialise. Additionally, the student health services suite, formerly housed in a smaller outlying building, now resides on the ground floor of the new facility.