“This project has a great discipline about its organization, both internally and externally. The manner in which it addresses the street with the large porch screened by live oaks is a wonderful way to arrive. It’s maneuvering and manipulating its massing and its materials in many different ways in order to break down the scale to become much more pedestrian- and user-friendly.”
— Gordon Gill, FAIA
Location College Station
Client Texas A&M University System
Architect SmithGroup
Design Team Kalman Nagy, AIA, Clint Menefee, AIA, Jared Smith, AIA, Kamala Farquharson, NOMA, Amanda Key, Amol Kane, Chris Fry, Paul Gonzales, Rick Jones, Ryan Dashkevicz, Jerry Tims, AIA, Andy Ochsankeh, Mark Kranz, FAIA, Adam Henning, Michael Luce, Ashley Hall, Heebum Yang, Randall Daniel, AIA, Reinhardt Swart, Bill Neuhoff, Vince David, Cailey Wingate, Sean Falloon
Contractor Manhattan Construction Group
Structural Engineer JQ Infrastructure
Civil Engineer Gessner Engineering
Golf Course Architect Jeffrey D. Blume
AV/IT/Security DataCom Design Group
Photographer Wade Griffith
Texas A&M University has the largest student body in Texas, with more than 69,000 students enrolled at its flagship campus. This new satellite recreation facility helps alleviate overcrowding in the main recreation center, expands student employment opportunities, and makes recreation more accessible to the robust student population living in the adjacent residence halls. The clear parti consists of two high-bay spaces: multipurpose courts to the north and strength and conditioning space to the south. These flank the central support bar of the main lobby, bouldering wall, and locker rooms under the floating movement of the “white box” containing group fitness, offices, and cardio mezzanines. A grand entry plaza anchors the major pedestrian path from the student housing, and large glass openings showcase the recreation program along the primary facade.