The Provo Recreation Center was designed to meet a variety of needs in this growing city. Home to Brigham Young University, Provo has a young population that values recreation and health, so its residents passed a $39-million bond measure in 2010 to move this project forward.
The center's aquatics area features leisure pools, water slides, hot tubs and a competition pool with changing rooms. A bouldering cave, weight-lifting and cardio area, fitness studio, running track, basketball courts, racquetball courts and children's indoor playground round out the amenities.
Designed also to function as a community center, the 160,000-sq-ft facility houses classrooms and multi-purpose rooms with kitchen facilities, a welcome resource for senior citizens and community groups.
The city's first challenge was to locate a convenient central site for the facility. An aging senior center and community center located next to an outdoor pool were in dire need of updating. Demolishing the old structures and replacing them with the recreation center proved beneficial. However, the team found several unforeseen site conditions, including a buried swimming pool, old building slabs, abandoned or broken utilities and an unmarked fiber-optic main line that had to be relocated.
The project team resolved issues through timely and open communication. Excavation for the pools took place next to where flat concrete floors were placed to build multiple full-size basketball courts. Working through a winter season before the building was enclosed also added to the project's complexity.
Construction was phased so that the senior center, teen center and existing recreation center could all remain open, serving the public and allowing staff to function. Senior citizens traveled daily to the senior center for lunch. Early demolition of the building would have curtailed the meals program. In addition, by delaying demolition of the old recreation center, the city continued to generate revenue throughout most of the construction project.
Best Intermountain Sports/Entertainment Project
Provo Recreation Center
Provo, Utah
Key Players
Owner Provo City Parks & Recreation, Provo, Utah
Architect VCBO Architecture LLC, Salt Lake City
Consulting Architect Barker Rinker Seacat Architecture, Denver
General Contractor Layton Construction Co., Sandy, Utah
Civil Engineer Bush & Gudgell, Salt Lake City
Structural Engineer Reaveley Engineers & Associates, Salt Lake City
Electrical Engineer ECE Electrical Consulting Engineers LLC, Salt Lake City
MEP Engineer Heath Engineering, Salt Lake City
Pool Architect Water Design Inc., Salt Lake City
Landscape Architect Arcsitio Design Inc., Salt Lake City
Geotechnical Engineer Earthtec Engineering Inc., Orem, Utah
Operations Consultant Ballard King & Associates, Highlands Ranch, Colo.
