For many of us who attended college in the early 70’s, the student recreation center was a gymnasium. A place to play basketball–maybe volleyball–and a dimly lit, poorly ventilated weight room in the basement that was considered a bonus.

Ask today’s college student to define a recreation center, and they will tell you it is anything but… a gymnasium. With expectations of an “exercise and social experience,” today’s college students not only want more recreation and fitness venue options within facilities, but seek them in physically and visually stimulating environments.

Internal and External Transparency is the Rule

Within the facilities, students can see and be seen in multiple programmatic spaces that address fitness, wellness, socialization, and circulation. The recreation center has hundreds of pieces of exercise equipment, a climbing wall, a juice bar, and multiple flat-screen televisions located in areas for socializing and multi-tasking.

Specialty group exercise rooms and locker rooms with private showers rival a country club. Running tracks that are most likely 1/8 mile long with a cushioned rubber surface are designed specifically to minimize joint pain; and of course, there’s a pool.

Oh, the Pool

Unlike the standard eight- or 10-lane, 25-yard competition pool for lap swimming of yesteryear, today’s water venue is called an aquatic center. The aquatic center typically has several pools of varying depths and water temperatures that are not only used for lap and exercise swimming but also serve as an area to hang out with friends. Some even have built-in benches and lazy river currents for drifting in inner tubes.

Even in today’s economic climate, college enrollment is still high and school admissions departments are highlighting recreation centers. Quite often campus tours start and finish at the center, and how these facilities promote a positive student life experience is valued and important to prospective students and parents, alike.

Student input led to the inclusion of a leisure pool at the aquatic center at the University of Illinois, Chicago, east campus.