Tuscon, AZ – The new 54,000 square foot expansion of the student recreation center at the University of Arizona has earned LEED Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, the highest category of sustainable design and construction. Designed by Sasaki in collaboration with M3 Engineering of Tucson, the project integrates passive solar orientation, programmed outdoor space, day-lighting strategies, and indoor environmental quality as fundamental properties of the building.
As a major hub for student life, the Student Recreation Center Expansion (SRCE) leverages its most active program elements in a highly visible and transparent manner – activating the 6th Street corridor with a vibrant student presence. Previously a parking lot, the project site is on the edge of the University of Arizona campus, fronting a busy, four-lane vehicular edge to the north. Increasing the neighborhood density with the SRCE stimulates the use of existing alternative transportation modes like public transit, bicycling and walking.
According to Sasaki principal Tim M. Stevens, AIA LEED AP, the project was “Originally targeted for LEED Silver, but the design process revealed a deeper desire to express how sustainability in a desert environment should affect building character. The project became a study of balancing transparency and opacity, and appropriately engaging the qualities of the Sonoran Desert sun. LEED Platinum was an outcome of principled design combined with campus contribution and owner/construction manager collaboration – and it was achieved without affecting the original project budget.”
The expansion includes the center’s primary Fitness Center, Outdoor Adventures and a Multi-use Activity Court (MAC) Gymnasium. Two intersecting roof elements frame outdoor courtyards between the new and old structures which house rock-climbing ‘boulders’, sand volleyball courts, and outdoor fitness areas. The facility’s transparent quality allows interior occupants to view activity outdoors, and vice versa, promoting recreational diversity.
Passive solar measures significantly contribute to the facility’s energy efficiency, including optimal building orientation, daylight and views on the north and south, opaque walls on the east and west, deep overhangs that shade glass and ground surfaces, high efficiency building envelopes, and cool roofs. The SRCE incorporates high efficiency plumbing fixtures, which reduce by 47.5% its water use (compared to the LEED baseline). Passive stormwater harvesting strategies have been utilized in the landscaped areas, increasing permeability and reducing runoff through the use of infiltration basins. Most of the plantings that surround the SRCE have been selected for their ability to thrive in an arid environment. Materials using recycled content make up over 20% of the total value of the materials in the SRCE. More than 10% of all the materials used for construction were either manufactured or produced within 500 miles of Tucson. Utilizing local materials not only resulted in fewer trucks traveling fewer miles, but also helped local businesses and local economies to thrive.
The project is student-fee funded with a goal of ‘shepherding student resources’. As such, the building is the first LEED certified building on Campus.
