USU’s ARC earns national accolades

On Tuesday, the Utah State University Aggie Recreation Center earned the 2017 Outstanding Sports Facility award from the National Intramural and Sports Recreation Association.

This new honor accompanies three additional awards the ARC has received since its grand opening back in November of 2015.

The ARC was named the Outstanding Sports and Recreation Facility for 2016 by Utah Design and Construction magazine. It also earned the 2016 Merit Award for recreation and sports facilities for Best Project by the Mountain States Region from Engineering News Record. The facility also garnered the 2016 Merit Design Award from the Utah Masonry Council.

The ARC is also LEED Gold certified, an honor commending a low environmental footprint from the building itself and the policies there in.

“These awards and recognition underscore the high-quality, collaborative effort put forth by everyone involved in designing and constructing this wonderful facility for our students,” James Morales, USU’s vice president for Student Affairs, said in a statement. “We have every reason to be extremely proud of our Aggie Recreation Center.”

According to the NIRSA website, the ARC beat out 5,000 other facilities from other member schools in the United States, including six universities in Utah.

However, according to the organization’s website, in order to be eligible for consideration for the award a facility must met the following criteria:

• Must be a current NIRSA institutional member.
• Project must be a new construction or an expansion/renovation.
• Project must have been opened between December 2014 and October 31, 2016.
• Project should be valued at or above $2 million (excluding design and land fees) or total 20,000 or more square feet for highest consideration.
• At least 50% of the facility’s net square footage must be intended for recreational sports.

The NIRSA selection committee also followed a set of criteria for the award. It is as follows:

• Correlation to Campus Master Plan & Mission
• Intended and Actual Impact on the Recreational Program
• Unique Aesthetic of Architectural Features
• Relationship Between Facility Design & Staffing
• Innovative Construction Materials or Methods
• Sustainable Features
• Technological Benefits for Customer, Staff and/or Budget

Designed by both AJC Architecture of Salt Lake City and 360 Architects of Kansas City, Missouri, the ARC’s price tag upon completion was $30 million, which was paid for through student fees. The 105,000 square foot facility saw approximately 137,926 visitors last fall, according to a release from Utah State University.