Penn State University Berks Beaver Community Center
Penn State Berks, having originated as a polytechnic institute, became part of the Penn System in 1958 and encompasses 258 acres and thirty buildings.
The existing Beaver Community Center (BCC) was approximately 28,000 SF, and houses special events, indoor athletics and Kinesiology which is the second largest major at Berks. In its current configuration and size, the BCC no longer met user needs. Athletics required space to comply with its NCAA Division III status, and Kinesiology was operating over capacity with no room for projected growth. Campus recreation activities were forced to operate within extremely limited facility availability. The BCC requires a design solution that allows all programs to flourish.
Our team, in conjunction with AOS Architects, designed a facility that met the client’s goals to:
- Enhance the campus aesthetic and character
- Address space limitations for Kinesiology
- Support NCAA athletic programs
- Improve recruitment and retention
- Rectify existing infrastructure and site/utility issues
- Meet or exceed LEED Certification
Project Size: 45,723 SF
Location: Reading, PA
The existing one-story BCC is expanded to the east by a two-story addition with an Athletic Department suite on the first floor, and a Kinesiology Department suite on the second floor.
Existing locker rooms to the north of the Performance Gymnasium are repurposed to provide classrooms, training suite, official’s locker rooms and public toilets. The existing fitness center and kinesiology areas on the west side of the Gymnasium are renovated for team and visitor locker rooms. A major addition west of the team lockers includes a multi-purpose gymnasium, significantly expanded fitness, a large multipurpose room, biomechanics lab and exercise physiology lab. The west entrance lobby provides views into activity areas; the east entry provides access to department suites and connects to the west lobby via a wide concourse
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