The Board of Visitors Buildings and Grounds Committee discussed the upcoming North Grounds Recreation Center renovation yesterday.
University Architect David Neuman said the project aims to create more athletic recreational space to match the growing student enrollment. "The demand [for athletic space] has accelerated as enrollment, program participation and fitness, health and wellness options increased," Neuman said during his presentation.
New additions to the North Grounds Recreation Center include an indoor swimming pool, two squash courts and a multi-purpose recreation room. The building will also be modified to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards.
The renovation will cost an estimated $17 million and will be completed by August 2013, Neuman said.
Neuman also presented plans for an indoor practice facility field, which would be used primarily by the football program and built on one of two existing football practice fields near University Hall.
The project will incorporate brick and arched-ceiling similar to the architectural features of nearby U-Hall and John Paul Jones Arena, which Neuman said he hopes will evoke a sense of the University's traditional colonnade architectural style.
The indoor practice facility field has also been designed to achieve LEED Certification and will be "more or less invisible to the public realm," Neuman said.
The Board passed the proposal for the building's construction at its November meeting, and yesterday approved the acceleration of the building process, which would ensure the project is completed by spring 2013.
"The athletic department has been feeling the need to have an indoor practice facility for some time," University spokesperson Carol Wood said. "Teams can't practice in snow, in really bad weather, in really exhausting heat."
The projected rise in University enrollment by 1,673 students by 2018 necessitates a 20 percent increase in site density, Neuman said, which would maximize the use of University space. But Neuman emphasized any new projects would be designed to environmentally sustainable standards.
The Board discussed two other construction proposals for the University's College at Wise. The Board approved construction plans for a new library.
Responding to concerns about obesity rates in the region, the Board also approved plans for a
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