The student fitness center is LEED Gold due to its eco- and user-friendly design. The space features space sculpting wall panels using Infinity Mesh encased in a U-binding from Cambridge Architectural. The architect, SRG Partnership Inc., designed the space so that mesh walls complement the design intent by matching the open, airy concept that defines the Fitness Center. The interior has earned awards from the International Interior Design Association (IIDA), and the project was honored with a design award by American Institute of Architects (AIA) Portland.
“The area needed to be secured, yet have an open and connected feeling to the lobby space outside,” says Stan Jaworowski, LEED AP, senior associate, with SRG Partnership. “Visibility, audibility, and ventilation were all requirements of the wall system; the mesh was a very attractive part of the solution. In addition to securing the space, a natural ventilation scheme required air movement from the weight room’s windows through the room and into the double-high lobby space.”
For the project, Advanced Welding and Steel Inc. supplied the structural steel and metal grate canopy sunshades, and CMC Joist
& Deck provided the trusses. Pacific Aluminum Co. supplied the curtainwall system, along with the integrated sunshades. Linear skylights were provided by Lacey Glass, while Sunoptics Prismatic Skylights supplied unit skylights. Kingspan Insulated Panels provided its insulated metal panels for the building exterior, and Fryer Noble Co. provided the Jakob stainless steel cable trellis system on the south wall.
The new center replaced the college’s 1958 gym, which was demolished in August 2009. To preserve a part of the college’s history, part of the old gym floor and bricks were salvaged to incorporate into the design of the new fitness center, which includes classrooms for physical education and health programs, a gym with retractable bleacher seating for 2,250, cardio and free weight training room, climbing wall, running track, juice bar, multipurpose small gym, and offices for faculty and staff. Additionally, it includes space for intercollegiate athletics and activities.
General contractor: Panattoni Construction, Seattle
Architect: SRG Partnership Inc., Seattle
Cable trellis: Fryer Noble Co., Seattle, www.fryernoble.com,
Curtainwall/integrated sunshades: Pacific Aluminum Co., Woodinville, Wash., www.pacificaluminum.com,
Insulated metal panels: Kingspan Insulated Panels, Deland, Fla., www.kingspanpanels.us,
Linear skylights: Lacey Glass, Lacey, Wash., www.laceyglass.com,
Metal mesh: Cambridge Architectural, Cambridge, Md., www.cambridgearchitectural.com,
Structural steel/canopy sunshades: Advanced Welding and Steel Inc., Grangeville, Idaho, www.advancedweldingandsteel.com
Trusses: CMC Joist & Deck, Houston, www.cmcjd.com,
Unit skylights: Sunoptics Prismatic Skylights, Sacramento, Calif., www.sunoptics.com
