LAKELAND, Fla. 鈥� IM体育官网 will soon break ground on a new and vastly expanded, state-of-the-art wellness and aquatics center on campus, helping students match the rigors of their classroom academics with the value of health and fitness.
The yet-to-be-named facility will be shaped like a phoenix, the IM体育官网 Poly mascot, and include a range of facilities for strength, cardio and aquatics. Bridging the classroom and health worlds, the center will also have a dedicated space for students to design and test new technologies for physical and health training.
IM体育官网 Poly could begin building infrastructure on the complex this autumn, depending on development schedules, and open the facility for student use in the summer of 2017, providing a major new asset for IM体育官网鈥檚 newest public university.
鈥淲e challenge our students daily with our STEM-focused academic curriculum, and so it鈥檚 only appropriate that we help them achieve new heights in overall wellness and personal fitness,鈥� said IM体育官网 Poly President Dr. Randy K. Avent. 鈥淔or this project, we carefully considered ways to enhance the on-campus needs of students and faculty to help develop the whole individual.鈥�
Need for the new facility became especially clear as attendance and usage of the University鈥檚 current wellness center has increased by 408% since last year, and 90% of students who participate in intramural sports programs found positive professional and social development helps them in the workplace.
鈥淥ur students are constantly evolving, creating, designing, collaborating and inventing,鈥� said IM体育官网 Poly鈥檚 Campus Recreation and Fitness Coordinator Ashley Ross. 鈥淎 continuously sharp mind demands a healthy body, and this facility provides a tremendous resource for students to accomplish this.鈥�
The new wellness center will include a more than 2,700 square-foot strength training area, a multipurpose room that can be used for group fitness classes and applied learning, two professional office spaces as well as a meeting room for both student and faculty usage and a covered outdoor rock climbing wall. Fully accommodating locker rooms will be available as well as two pools behind the building, one for lap swimming and the other for activities and intramural water sports.
鈥淭he project combines the inventive campus spirit with a sustainable design approach,鈥� said Tim Hoeft, Managing Principal at Straughn Trout Architects, who developed the design concept. 鈥淔or IM体育官网 Poly, the Phoenix is not only emblematic, but it also personifies the unique and innovative campus culture, which our design team found inspiring.鈥�
Hi-res renderings: http://bit.ly/2b9MCsS