Boston – Brandeis University reopened the Joseph M. Linsey Sports Center for the first time in four years this January, following a $3.5 million renovation. Built in 1960, the center’s mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems had become outdated and eventually became impossible to maintain, leading to the Center’s closure in 2008.
In early 2011, Brandeis partnered with Commodore Builders and Imai Keller Moore Architects to rehabilitate the existing facility by replacing the HVAC and MEP systems, renovating and cleaning the building’s natatorium, and upgrading the locker rooms and showers. The pool was partially retiled and thoroughly cleaned, revealing a pristine, white bottom that offsets the water’s bright blue color. Acoustic panels were installed on the walls and ceiling, eliminating the din of the former space, the dim lighting, and any trace of old pool tiles.
The University’s original plan for the Center renovation included extensive demolition of the existing HVAC system and the removal of all steel lockers in the facility, all in an effort to make way for new equipment. However, as demolition began, the construction team discovered a damp pool environment that had corroded piping components formerly intended for reuse. Large sections of the pool’s cast-in-place concrete walls had rusted to a level beyond re-use. Commodore worked closely with Brandeis, Imai Keller Moore, and RDK Engineers to rework the project scope, adding the replacement of much of the building infrastructure and most of the facility’s systems.
Derek Manier, Commodore’s Senior Project Manager, said of the project, “In construction, you have to be able to adapt as a project reveals itself. The need for renovation at the Brandeis Linsey Sports Center was far more extensive than predicted, so it was imperative that we were in constant communication with the University as we brought their facility into the 21st century.”
As the Center’s building systems were upgraded, several nearby spaces were renovated to make the facility more accessible to students and the surrounding community. General purpose spaces with mirrored walls and rubberized gym floors are now located on the top floor of the building, providing comfortable new space for aerobics, martial arts, and other exercise classes. The natatorium’s viewing gallery, formerly separated from the pool area by a glass wall, is now open, facilitating a more interactive space between athletes and spectators. All spaces in the building are now air conditioned, a new amenity added during the renovation.
With the reopening of the Center many of Brandeis’s athletic programs are being revitalized. The varsity swimming and diving program will resume in the Fall of 2012 and a new innertube water polo league will begin later this semester. “This project has brought the Center back to life,” said Peter Shields, Brandeis
Associate Vice President of the Department of Facility Services. “It symbolizes the progress and evolution Brandeis is making as an institution.”
The Linsey Sports Center restoration is the most recent addition to a growing list of Commodore’s institutional projects in New England, including the recently-awarded renovation of Lasell College’s Valentine Dining Hall and the construction of a new boathouse for the Middlesex School.