Connecting the Smith Student Union to the Morrell Gymnasium, the 45,000 s/f Peter Buck Health Center is an indoor bridge for students, staff and athletes to traverse between the two buildings in warmth and comfort. An uplifting contrast to the previously small, dark gym entrance; the airy new lobby of the Morrell Gym is lit by walls of windows and low-mercury florescent lighting reflecting off the college’s glass-encased, mascot the Polar Bear.
With daylight windows and an imbedded sound system, the building’s basement and first floor are equipped with fitness, cardio, and weight training machines; more than tripling the amount of exercise space previously available to students and staff. An air-conditioning system with air exchange levels calculated for fitness exertion ensures that students, staff and faculty will always be at their most comfortable while working out. The complex also boasts a three-story rock-climbing wall that can be viewed from the lobby of every floor and was modeled by Rockwerx of Barre, Mass. to emulate existing Maine granite formations.
The second floor houses the college sports offices clustering the teams into groups and creating a space that separates the teams from the general student body. The offices have operable windows for air quality control, shades for comfort and privacy and a lovely view of the ivy-covered walls of campus. A kitchen and multiple huddle rooms equipped with video monitors complete the configuration of the team offices bringing together Bowdoin’s entire athletic department under one roof for the first time.
Health and wellness is the focus of the third floor, including examination rooms and a medical staff comprised of board-certified physician’s assistants, a nurse practitioner and contracted physicians, replacing the student healthcare facility previously in the Dudley Coe Health Center. The floor also contains a yoga/dance studio and a multipurpose room that can seat up to 40 people for classroom or meeting space. A second meeting room overlooks the Morrell gymnasium basketball court and is equipped with a video projector for classes and large gatherings.
Ensuring that all of the college’s needs were met, Barr & Barr Bldrs. worked seamlessly with Bowdoin College’s administration, board of trustees and building committee headed up by Tim Foster, dean of student affairs.
“The new Peter Buck Center for Health and Fitness is a wonderful addition to the Bowdoin campus and a place where every member of our community can pursue and realize their health and wellness goals,” said Foster.
Working with the design team of Cambridge Seven Assoc., the $15 million project took 15 months for Barr & Barr Bldrs. to complete. Meeting the college’s ongoing sustainability efforts for green efficiency the Peter Buck Health Center is striving for LEED Silver certification and is ADA accessible for all athletes and students. With more than 95% of the construction waste diverted from landfills, high-efficiency mechanical and air handling equipment for optimal energy performance and building products that were locally extracted and manufactured, Barr & Barr Bldrs. has met the goals of the rigorous LEED process demonstrating leadership, innovation and environmental stewardship.
The new Bowdoin College Peter Buck Health and Fitness Center provides students, staff and faculty every opportunity to improve wellness and support the college’s sports teams in a way never experienced before on Bowdoin campus. This ideal edifice of health and wellness is a beacon as the four-story glass-walled complex glows with light from within while it reflects the ivy-clad brick walls that surround it.