San Jose State University Student Recreation and Aquatic Center
San Jose, Calif.
BEST PROJECT

Key Players
Owner: California State University System – San Jose State University Campus
Lead Design Firm: Gensler
General Contractor: AECOM Hunt
Civil Engineer: BFK Engineers
Structural Engineer: Rutherford + Chekene
MEP Engineer: Guttmann & Blaevoet Consulting Engineers

The three-building, $111.6-million San Jose State University Student Recreation and Aquatic Center creates a central campus hub while establishing a benchmark for recreation facilities in the California State University system. The center includes gymnasiums, weight and fitness areas, a running track, rock-climbing wall, a 50-meter competition swimming and diving pool and a recreation pool with six lap lanes. Several indoor and outdoor spaces are interspersed throughout the site to promote interaction among user groups. Ample daylighting brightens the interior spaces, while large expanses of greenery surround the center, making the most of the mild California climate. 

Critical to the success of the 121,000-sq-ft project was managing the needs of its many stakeholders, including the university, the student body, the California State University system and the local community. Team members implemented a strategy of transparent presentation and multiple reviews to meet the programmatic needs of multiple stakeholders.

Targeting LEED Gold certification, the project team met an aggressive energy goal of 35 kbtu/year specified at the outset. That included creation of a sophisticated displacement air system to reduce the number of air-handling units while maximizing the use of outside air. The approach significantly cut first costs in the budget, and the project team anticipates that the university will benefit from cost reductions in energy consumption for years to come.

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