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Wow!
If there aren’t already enough reasons to compel high school students to enroll at The Ohio State University, the new Recreation and Physical Activity Center (RPAC) should do the trick.
It certainly was enough to make several of the 30 plus members of the Central Ohio IFMA Chapter want to return to Ohio State to take advantage of this $140 million state-of-the-art recreation facility just south of Ohio Stadium.
Chapter members were guests of the university August 31 for a guided tour of the mammoth facility by Diane Jensen, associate director of recreational sports; Kim Myers, membership director, Department of Recreational Sports; and Kurt Carmen, director of aquatics.
When completed in 2007, this multi-phase project will consist of over 600,000 square feet. It replaces Larkens Hall and will house the Department of Recreational Sports, the School of Physical Activity and Educational services, and the aquatic teams from the Department of Athletics.
The recreational and aquatics areas will be open to students, faculty, and staff when fall quarter begins on the main campus September 21. Some 10,000 to 12,000 are expected to use the facility daily.
The main recreation building includes 25,000 square feet of fitness space and $1 million worth of fitness equipment, eight basketball courts, 10 racquetball courts, four multipurpose rooms, an indoor jogging track, meeting rooms, a café that will be open to the public, a suite of offices for the Student Wellness Center, and other amenities.
The aquatics center has two parts—one for athletic competition, and one for physical education and recreation. The one where varsity meets will be held—the Bill and Mae MacCorkle Aquatic Pavilion—features five pools for swimming and diving, and seating for 1,450 that can be expanded to accommodate another 500 to1,000 spectators.
Carmen said, “A lot of good thinking and a lot of good designing went into this facility,” adding that the university would like to host the Olympic Diving Trials here in 2008.
When completed, the area adjacent to the building will include 15 tennis courts, four multipurpose grass fields, courts for basketball and sand volleyball, and a possible roller hockey and skate park.
Jensen said, “There will be four distinct sections in the new center—an academic building for physical activity and education services, the main recreation center, and the two aquatics buildings. It’s going to look like four separate buildings from the street level with all connected underground.”
The design also includes an overhead walkway that will connect the academic building and the main recreation center, and extend to 17th Ave. and Milliken Rd. for access there.
Included in this massive construction project is the already-completed Adventure Recreation Center on the west campus at 855 Woody Hayes Dr. This center, which offers four hardwood basketball courts, two indoor turf fields, free weights, strength training machines and cardio equipment, opened in January.
The outdoor component opened in September 2004 and offers a 4,000 square foot, 35-foot tall climbing structure with bouldering cave; outdoor equipment rental office; and a trip-planning resource center for white water rafting, kayaking, fly-fishing, rock climbing, camping, etc.
The project is funded 60 percent by student fees, 11 percent by other user fees, and the remainder by a combination of state, university, and privately donated funds. When the last stone is in place, the facility will serve as the largest and most comprehensive student recreation and academic facility in the country, and most definitely one worth seeing.
If you missed this great IFMA event, you will want to be at the Fawcett Center at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, September 14 for a continental breakfast, networking opportunities, and a presentation on the Practical Applications of Sustainable Design Based on the Principles of Leadership in energy & environmental Design (LEED).
The program will be presented by Colleen McCafferty, president of IFMA corporate Headquarters Council, and Tom Hellman, vice president and director of architecture & interior design, Hixson Group.