Architect : SCB
Total Construction Cost : $46M
Square Feet : 100,000
Project Description:
The Pomona College Center for Athletics, Recreation and Wellness is a comprehensive programmatic renewal and renovation of, and addition to, a facility that has served the campus since 1950. Formerly known as the Memorial Gymnasium, the center’s identity on the quad is expressed as a semi-enclosed forecourt, which appropriates the scale and rhythm of the adjacent Bridges Auditorium arcade to create an outdoor room that celebrates arrival and mimics the shadow play of the ubiquitous oak tree canopies through a series of perforated metal infill panels.
The building’s character, while derived from the campus’ Mediterranean roots, is conveyed in a palette of taut precast concrete panels, clerestory windows and a unified hip roof.
A feasibility analysis determined that the only component of the existing building suitable for renovation was the indoor competition gym, which became seamlessly integrated into the new addition. New program spaces include team locker rooms, athletic departmental offices, training spaces, strength and conditioning areas, as well as recreational fitness and sports courts, studios and classrooms.
At the heart of the LEED Platinum-certified center is a student commons, featuring a terraced stair and seating areas within a skylit double-height volume. Student recreational and wellness program offerings are transparently organized around the commons, inviting participation and conveying activity. A new recreational gymnasium located on the second level affords natural daylighting and features prominent views of the nearby San Gabriel Mountains through a dramatic glass backdrop. In reference to the former Memorial Gym’s wood ceiling, the gymnasium’s structure is composed of cross-laminated timber supported by steel trusses.