Vision for the Future – Forever in Motion
RECREATION & WELLNESS – EAST
- The University of Florida Department of Recreational Sports (RecSports) plans to develop a new facility on the east side of campus to better meet the recreation and wellness needs of students. The Department of Recreational Sports serves critical student needs and has a significant impact on the quality of life for students at UF.
CHALLENGES
- When compared to peers and national standards, UF RecSports falls short of having adequate indoor space to meet the needs of its 50,000+ students
- Current recreation facilities lack the convenience needed by many students on the east side of campus
OPPORTUNITIES
- Create self-sufficient on campus residential neighborhoods
- Create a facility within walking distance of the academic core and on-and-off campus housing
- Partnerships with campus and Recreational Sports will bring multiple wellness offerings for students in one location
- Location on east side of campus is highly visible to on/off campus housing for a large portion of the student population
SOUTHWEST RECREATION CENTER – WEIGHT ROOM EXPANSION
- The University of Florida Department of Recreational Sports (RecSports) plans to renovate the existing weight room at the Southwest Recreation Center. Plans include expanding to the west to enlarge the space by 50%.
CHALLENGES
- Undersized weight room does not meet high demand for strength training
- Overcrowding during peak hours requires a waiting line to enter the space
- Current square footage restricts ability to increase the number of widely used pieces of equipment
- Limited size restricts users from performing most linear exercises
OPPORTUNITIES
- Expand the current weight room square footage by 50%
- Drastically increase the capacity for strength equipment and functional training space
- Increase number of Olympic lifting platforms, squat racks, benches, and dumbbells to meet demand
SOUTHWEST RECREATION CENTER – INDOOR POOL
- The Southwest Recreation Center is approximately 147,000 square feet of space built in three phases over the course of 25 years. The Department of Recreational Sports (RecSports) plans to continue to expand the building’s footprint by adding an eight lane, 50-meter indoor pool to the east of the current building.
CHALLENGES
- Restricted indoor lap swim hours at O’Connell Center Pool due to shared usage
- Florida Pool is a non-standard pool length of 25 yards
- Water-based Sport Clubs are restricted to one home event per year due to pool scheduling constraints
- Depth of water restricts ability to host many educational courses and fitness programs
OPPORTUNITIES
- Drastically increase indoor lap swim hours for students and members
- Provide greater variety of aquatic activities
- Provide more aquatic programming, instructional swimming, additional educational courses, and certifications
SOUTHWEST RECREATION CENTER EXPANSION
- The Southwest Recreation Center is approximately 147,000 square feet of space built in three phases over the course of 25 years. The Department of Recreational Sports (RecSports) plans to continue to expand the buildings footprint by adding square feet for high demand activity spaces such as an indoor pool, multi activity (MAC) gymnasiums, weight room expansion, and an indoor turf field.
CHALLENGES
- Needed recreation space on campus is drastically undersized compared to peer institutions and national recommendations
- Florida Pool is a non-standard pool length with only eight lanes and cannot accommodate special events
- Overcrowded gymnasiums do not serve the high demand for open recreation, intramural sports, and sport club activities
- Intramural sports limits teams in such sports as indoor soccer due to space limitations
OPPORTUNITIES
- Engage more students, faculty, and activities
- Become a premier location for hosting events, swim meets, intramural sports and sport club tournaments
- Provide more aquatic programming, recreational swimming, educational courses, and certifications
- Reduce the number of field activities that are cancelled due to inclement weather
SYNTHETIC TURF FIELDS
- The Department of Recreational Sports (RecSports) would like to upgrade existing fields with synthetic turf to improve ease of maintenance, user access control, and allow for play during inclement weather.
CHALLENGES
- Wear and tear on activity fields due to extreme usage
- Many intramural sports and sport club activities are cancelled due to saturated fields and poor drainage
- Rising costs of field maintenance and operations
OPPORTUNITIES
- Synthetic turf surfaces allow for fewer activities to be cancelled due to saturated fields
- Significant cost savings in field costs
- Provides opportunity to host national events and tournaments during non-peak times
SYNTHETIC TURF – SOUTHWEST FIELDS 1 – 4
- The Southwest Fields, located north east of the Southwest Recreation Center, are outdoor activity fields that the Department of Recreational Sports (RecSports) would like to upgrade to improve ease of maintenance, user access control, and allow for play during and after inclement weather. The fields will be surfaced with synthetic turf, fenced, gated, and a shelter to provide shade for users.
CHALLENGES
- High levels of wear and tear on activity fields due to extreme usage
- Many intramural sport activities are cancelled due to saturated fields and poor drainage
- Rising costs of field maintenance and operations
- Current grading and interior light poles restrict certain field configurations
OPPORTUNITIES
- Synthetic turf surfaces allow for fewer activities to be cancelled due to saturated fields
- Significant cost savings in field costs
- Provides opportunity to host national events and tournaments during non-peak times