As many commuter campuses grow and begin to shift toward more on-campus living, creating attractions to keep on-campus students entertained becomes increasingly important. In Northridge, Calif., an amazing relationship between California State University, Northridge, (CSUN) and the University Student Union (USU) made it possible for such a destination to be developed—the Student Recreation Center. Not only did the new athletic center meet the goals of both the university and the students, it also kept sustainability at the forefront.
For CSUN, a new gateway was sought to establish a presence on the eastern edge of the campus that furthered the university’s aspiration of creating a model sustainable campus, which is also in line with California’s state-wide initiative. CSUN had already developed other LEED projects on campus as well as other state-of-the-art initiatives, such as a large PV array and a fuel cell that’s connected to a rainforest. So the solution to the problem of designing a facility that met everyone’s needs ended up being simple: engage the students.