Smart Update

When your designated fitness area is basically a small, outdated basement weight room, literally and figuratively, the only way to go is up.

PHOTOS ©ROBERT BENSON PHOTOGRAPHY

For Choate Rosemary Hall, a coed boarding and day school for 850 high-school students in Wallingford, Conn., the time was right for some serious additions and renovations to its existing athletic center, the main facility for indoor sports on campus, which was in dire need of significant upgrades and new equipment.

"It's designed to be a place for everyone; it's been a shot in the arm in every way," says Ned Gallagher, director of athletics at Choate. "It was also kind of a matter of keeping up with the Joneses."

The existing Georgian building was renovated and contains a skylit multi-use "cage" with a running track, the basketball arena, squash courts, weight and wrestling rooms, and locker rooms. The addition, which provides a new two-level wing with a two-story lobby at its heart, contains a fitness center, trainers suite, dance studio and two competition squash courts.

"Compared to other facilities at other schools, this was a relatively modest project cost," Gallagher says. "We got a lot of bang for our buck, both with the concept as well as the execution."

The new athletic center is hard to miss on campus with its sinuous glazed wall, which from the outside is like a beacon and from the inside becomes a "Belvedere" lounge overlooking the main fields.

"It sort of functions as a lighthouse," Gallagher says. "It glows. It's a beacon. It both projects out as well as allows people inside to enjoy the sweeping panoramic views of campus."

Of all the new activity spaces created by the renovation and addition, the fitness area was designed to be a show-stopper.

"The crown jewel is the fitness center," Gallagher says. "We gave it a highly visible and prominent place in the building."

Likewise, the new building itself has quickly earned a prominent place on campus.

"It's become a vibrant center of activity, especially in the afternoon," Gallagher says. "It has something for everyone, not just students but faculty and staff."

"This is a very thoughtful addition to the existing building. Wonderful scale and detail allow the addition to blend beautifully with the original building without being bound by the existing building." —Reed I. Voorhees "High-quality project but extraordinary in the context of the balance of the campus or in the context of what has been built by Choate's peers." —Paul Brailsford "Beautiful spaces. Very attractive addition; strong appeal. Very nice project that compliments existing structure." —Philip Neeley