Prior to the construction of Auburn University’s Recreation and Wellness Center, the existing recreation center only provided students with minimal space, including basketball courts, one weight room, and a limited exercise and aerobics rooms. Auburn University wanted to create a new facility that would be unique, while significantly enhancing the students’ experience on campus.
Due to the impact of this facility on the Auburn campus, Robins & Morton provided preliminary planning and programming services to inform students before and after the student referendum. When construction began, Robins & Morton was challenged with managing ten prime contractors on an extremely tight site. Accompanying this main challenge, Robins & Morton also encountered obstacles with infrastructure and utility corridors, site accessibility limits, complex design and construction conditions, and scheduling. However, these challenges were combatted with open communication, and meticulous planning.
The world-class facility opened its doors in August 2013, providing 275,000 square feet of recreational, exercise, and educational space for Auburn students, faculty, and staff to use in pursuit of a healthier lifestyle. The new center features the nation’s longest indoor running tack, a five-story rock climbing wall, and a 45-person tiger-paw-shaped hot tub. Accompanying these elements, the design within the structure included large murals of landscapes and other nearby outdoor settings, as well as a courtyard surrounded by racquetball courts, weight training areas, group exercise studies, and other amenities.
Owner
Auburn University
Location
Auburn, Alabama
Architect
HOK
Size
237,981 SF
