The newest building on Creighton University’s campus in Omaha, Neb., the Rasmussen Fitness and Sports Center opened in October 2012. Named after Creighton athletics director Bruce Rasmussen, the 65,000-square-foot, three-level multipurpose field house is enjoyed by a variety of students and organizations, including Creighton Athletics, intramural and club sports. Featuring a synthetic field turf, rock climbing wall, fitness areas with cardio, circuit training and free weight equipment, the new facility also has a suspended two-lane running track and fitness mezzanine supported by a metal building supplied by Behlen Building Systems, Columbus, Neb.
Erected by Columbus-based B-D Construction Inc., the metal building features nearly 40,000 square feet of Behlen’s custom color ZL-24 standing seam roof system, and more than 12,000 square feet of MBCI, Houston, custom color FW-120 concealed fastener metal wall panel. Behind the masonry, the lower portion of the wall construction implemented girts spaced 2 feet on-center and metal building wall panels with brick attached to it.
The project also features nearly 80,000 square feet of Simple Saver System by Thermal Design Inc., Madison, Neb., which was utilized for the insulation and interior finishing system. B-D
Construction installed the R-25 wall system after the exterior wall panels were installed and relied upon the fall protection feature with Thermal Design’s R-35 roof system. The enhanced Super White UVMAX coating on the Simple Saver roof system provides a bright white finished appearance that directly compliments the abundant amount of natural daylight entering the facility from each orientation.
“The Simple Saver System not only provides a tighter building envelope and higher in-place R-values, but it also automatically encompasses additional key benefits in terms of impact durability and a clean, bright interior finish which are directly suited for facilities such as the Rasmussen Fitness Center,” says Brad Rowe, national marketing manager for Thermal Design.
The facility was erected in only five months. According to Chris Langan, project manager from B-D Construction, “The most challenging piece to the project was the extensive coordination needed between the conventional building components, architectural aesthetics and the pre-engineered structure to make it all work together in the end.”
The new sports center is an integral part of the Creighton Master Plan, which called for a sports venue village to redefine the campus’ east end, an area formerly blighted with abandoned buildings. Over time, Creighton acquired the available properties, allowing for campus expansion, while improving safety and surroundings for the university and city.
Rasmussen Fitness and Sports Center, Omaha, Neb.
Owner: Creighton University
Architect of Record: Sink Combs Dethlefs, Denver
Builder: B-D Construction Inc., Columbus, Neb.
Insulation: Thermal Design Inc., Madison, Neb., www.thermaldesign.com
Metal building: Behlen Building Systems, Columbus, Neb.,
www.behlenbuildingsystems.com
Metal wall panels: MBCI, Houston, www.mbci.com
