As time draws near for breaking ground on the new Student Wellness and Sustainability Center, regulars at the Student Activities Center may be wondering what the new facility has to offer.
"The center will provide Auburn students, faculty and staff with an innovative environment for health and fitness," said Jennifer Jarvis, director of recreational services.
The building, with construction scheduled to begin in the spring, will contain a variety of amenities, including a rock-climbing wall, golf simulator and six regulation-sized volleyball courts.
"The new Student Act, I think it's really awesome," said Patrick Tighe, freshman in journalism. "There will be a lot more space to do activities like basketball, working out and stuff. I think it'll be a benefit for the new, incoming students. It'll be another great staple at Auburn."
Another notable accommodation is a large, indoor track that will span the building.
"Called 'The Corkscrew,' the elevated, indoor track will dip, climb and twist like a roller coaster for a third of a mile," Jarvis said.
The structure was designed by 360 Architecture, located in Kansas City, Mo., in association with Infinity Architecture of Montgomery. Jarvis said the architects aimed to gain the U.S. Green Building Standard's LEED Certification, making the building environmentally sustainable.
"The new Wellness and Sustainability Center will also include programming the current Student Activities Center does not offer," Jarvis said. "(These include) indoor track, outdoor leisure/activity pool, outdoor recreation and rock climbing wall, etc."
The facility will cover a total of 99,000 square feet, nearly triple the size of the current Student Activities Center, which measures 99,000 square feet.
Alison White, junior in environmental science, thinks it's due time the Student Act gets an upgrade.
"I am jazzed about the new Student Act," White said. "I hope it has better times for exercise programs. The old one always schedules theirs at inconvenient times."
Luckily for White, the new center will also contain group exercise rooms, separate cardio/fitness areas and a spinning studio, as well as a yoga studio.
"It will be conveniently located near new student housing, existing intramural fields and recreational tennis courts," Jarvis said.
Rounding off the slew of features the new building will provide is an indoor soccer pitch, racquetball courts and sand volleyball. Outdoor recreation will also be an option, such as canoeing, kayaking and organized trips away from Auburn.
"(The center) will serve a broad spectrum of users and promote healthy, sustainable living," Jarvis said. "Plans are to break ground Spring 2011."
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