FEATURE STORY — July/Aug. 2006

Workin’ out chillin’ out

Pump iron, take a yoga class or lounge by the pool at UIC’s state-of-the-art recreation facility

By Rachel Parker

On a Tuesday afternoon, clusters of women bobble along the pool’s edge. At the climbing wall nearby, a young man’s chalk-dusted fingers clench the terrain, poised to make their next move. One floor above, figures in loose sweats move to the beat of a yoga routine.

An exclusive gym, you think? Nope. It’s UIC’s new $35 million Student Recreation Facility, now open 10 years after students proposed a fitness facilities facelift. And boy, was it worth the wait.

Located at the corner of Polk and Halsted, this three-story, 155,000-square-foot facility has something for everyone. On the first level, members can scale the 46-foot climbing wall, swim in the lap/leisure pool, take a class in one of several fitness studios or hang out in the Multi Activity Court, a gymnasium outfitted with dasher boards for indoor soccer, floor hockey, volleyball, badminton and basketball. The second level features a four-court gym for those interested in basketball, volleyball and badminton, while a mind/body suite hosts yoga, tai chi and Pilates classes. Those craving a cardio workout should visit the third level, where an 18,000-square-foot fitness floor is packed with treadmills, elliptical trainers, stair climbers, rowing machines and bikes. The fitness floor also houses iso-lateral strength equipment, dumbbells, barbells, free weight benches and plate-loaded training equipment. Finally, members can take their pick from three racquetball courts, two squash courts and a three-lane, 1/8-mile elevated running track that overlooks Chicago’s skyline.

Brains behind the brawn

To a certain extent, UIC students are the brains behind the brawn. During the recreation building boom in the 1990s, many undergraduate and graduate students came to UIC from high schools, junior colleges and universities that had new recreation centers. Consequently, they found UIC’s facilities outdated and inadequate. In 1996, student members of the Campus Union Board determined that UIC ranked last in the quality of its recreation facilities, compared to its peers in the “Urban 13” (a confederation of urban universities). Campus officials such as Ray Clay, director of campus recreation, took notice. “We started thinking, ‘Hey, if we want to keep up with the Joneses and offer a better out-of-class experience, we need to offer amenities that students are looking for,’” he says. “Otherwise, everyone’s going to pass us by.”

But what type of facility did students desire? What would it cost? How would it be funded? To find the answers, Barbara Henley, vice chancellor for student affairs, commissioned Brailsford & Dunlavey, a Washington, D.C.-based facilities planning and program management firm, to provide a market and financial analysis. B&D conducted an electronic survey of students and held focus groups with 200 students to gather their input on recreation facilities. A Student Referendum Committee was also established to determine whether improved recreation facilities warranted an increase in student fees. After visiting six recently constructed university fitness centers, committee members asked students to vote on the referendum: 82 percent of responding students supported the proposal to upgrade UIC’s recreation facilities in exchange for higher student fees.

You want it? You got it.

Ninety percent of the facility’s current amenities were determined by student focus groups, says Clay. “From day one, I knew that we needed to listen to our end users [the students] and build this facility according to what they wanted,” he says. As a result, the facility puts as much emphasis on taking a break as it does on breaking a sweat. Much of the facility’s amenities encourage relaxation and socializing. Next to the lap pool, swimmers can lounge in the current channel, hydro-therapy “bubble bench,” steam room, sauna or 35-person hot water spa. After a workout, members can relax in the Wi-Fi lounge or refuel at the first floor juice bar, while those needing a between-class break can hang out in the second floor game room or play a game of ping-pong.

Students also receive discounts on services such as massage therapy, personal training or fitness assessments at the Human Performance Lab, located on the facility’s first level.

Making a statement

The efforts of the two architectural firms that designed the building—Fairfax, Va.-based PSA-Dewberry (formerly Phillips Swager Associates) and Columbus, Ohio-based Moody•Nolan—weren’t limited to interior programming. “We wanted to show the energy of what’s happening on the inside—people exercising—and emulate that on the exterior,” says Chris Frye, design principal, PSA-Dewberry. To achieve that, the building incorporates large spans of glazing, particularly at the third level. This, according to Frye, helps give the building “a sense of movement and sense of energy.”

For Clay, the completed project represents more than aesthetics or a state-of-the-art recreation center. “I think it provides a new focus for the campus,” he says. “We’re trying to upgrade our image and provide students with what they ask for. We’re listening to what they’re telling us.”