Watertown, Ma – — Sasaki recently announced that their design for the University of Massachusetts Amherst Campus Recreation Center has been selected for an Athletic Business 2012 Facility of Merit award. Sasaki’s sports practice, comprised of an interdisciplinary group of dedicated professionals, has more than 30 years of experience planning and designing athletic and recreational projects on over 200 campuses nationwide.
The new recreation center is sited at a prominent location along Commonwealth Avenue to reinforce the university’s goal of promoting recreation and wellness. The building is a fresh adaptation to the architectural style of the campus and ushers in a new era of health and fitness opportunities for students.
Judge James Braam of 360 Architecture said the recreation center had, “[a] very thoughtful plan organization, executed skillfully with an understanding that buildings have a responsibility of addressing the social aspects of campus life.”
The design promotes recreation on campus by providing an attractive, vibrant space for students and integrating multiple sustainable solutions. “The open plan encourages engagement between users, and the use of transparency connects participants to passersby with the aim of inspiring everyone on campus to get involved,” says Sasaki sports practice principal Chris Sgarzi.
“The UMass project is a true testament of Sasaki’s holistic approach to building and site design,” continues Sgarzi. “A wide range of Sasaki’s in-house design professionals came together to achieve a unified, balanced design.”
The 10 merit award winners will appear in the December issue of Athletic Business. The awards will be presented to the facility owners and architects at the Athletic Business Conference & Expo in New Orleans
on Friday, Nov. 30.