HOUSTON (Aug. 22, 2024) – The University of Houston-Downtown (UHD) recently received more accolades for its Wellness & Success Center (WSC), which opened in January 2023. NIRSA (National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association) recognized the WSC with its NIRSA Outstanding Facilities Award for the new collegiate recreational facility’s innovative design. UHD was just one of six universities to receive the distinction.
“This recognition is a testament to UHD’s commitment to our community’s physical and mental wellbeing,” said UHD President Loren J. Blanchard. “The WSC not only meets the unique design challenges posed by the bayous and our urban setting, but it also provides a myriad of opportunities for engagement and connection that are of paramount importance for our UHD campus community.”
Selection criteria for the Outstanding Facilities Award included such items as sustainability, innovative construction methods, aesthetic features, recreational program benefits and the building’s correlation to the campus mission.
Designed by SmithGroup in association with HarrisonKornberg Architects and built by Vaughn Construction, the $39 million, 75,000-square-foot facility not only expanded UHD’s footprint and visibility, it also established a dynamic core and recognizable landmark for fostering and nurturing an on-campus community. Located on the western edge of the campus, the Center is bordered by the White Oak Bayou Greenway to the west and the College of Sciences & Technology (CST) building to the southeast.
The building’s transparent, three-story entrance with a prominent overhang canopy faces the Bayou Trail and the Marilyn Davies College of Business on the other side of Main Street. The Center pairs well with the adjacent CST building, which opened in 2019. The synergy of entry plazas between the two buildings establishes a landmark for the growing campus.
The grand entrance welcomes visitors, rewarding them with outstanding views of the downtown Houston skyline once inside. The three-story lobby leads to a student lounge area with seating for socializing and casual study. It flows into an outdoor terrace that capitalizes on the building’s best Downtown views. Students can also prepare food and share a meal in the adjacent community kitchen or find respite in the quiet spaces of the wellness suite.
Beyond the locker rooms, fitness amenities fill three floors: strength training and conditioning on the first level, personal workout areas and cardio equipment on the second level, and group studios on the third. Ample use of glass brings in natural light and offers visual connections among fitness areas, the central lobby area and the outdoors. On the building’s north end, a two-story bay houses three sports courts ringed with an elevated indoor track.
NIRSA began in 1950 as the National Intramural Association. In that year, founder Dr. William Wasson convened a meeting of 20 representatives from 11 Historically Black Colleges and Universities at Dillard University in New Orleans. Eventually, the organization became known as the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association, holding that moniker until 2012. Now the organization is NIRSA: Leaders in Collegiate Recreation.
For more information about UHD, visit uhd.ed