Sweet Briar College added a new 40,000 SF fitness and athletic facility to the existing Williams Gymnasium building. The new facility was designed not only to provide a venue for sporting activities and fitness, but also an indoor setting for large gatherings. Coordinating the design of the building and surrounding hardscape features with the look of the existing building and its location on the scenic south dell were factors that guided the building and site design.
Some anticipated features of the Fitness and Athletic Center include a theater, high-tech sound system, a racquetball/squash court, three indoor tennis courts, a suspended running track and opaque light panels in the metal roof to allow for some natural lighting. In addition, office space has been created for the administration of the physical education, athletics and recreation department. The Bistro will have an open-air covered patio area and in and outdoor seating. The entrance to the FAC will feature a loggia that is architecturally consistent with the other campus buildings and will house the showcase for the Sweet Briar Athletics Hall of Fame.
Topographic survey, conceptual site plans and final design documents for construction including hardscape additions in front of the building and handicap accessible routes, design of a new parking area, erosion and sediment control, water and sewer utility connections, storm water management, determining and addressing water quality issues, landscaping layout and construction staking. Hurt and Proffitt assisted the college in obtaining a special exemption permit to allow construction of the facility in an area zoned for agricultural use. In order to provide sewer service to the new gymnasium, Hurt and Proffitt designed a sewer lift station to serve the existing gym, the new facility and some of the existing adjacent facilities. The project also included the abandonment of an existing lift station, which had reached the end of its useful life. When the decision was made to change the layout of the sidewalk in front of the building less than two weeks before the buildings inaugural event, Hurt and Proffitt worked with the contractor and the college to quickly prepare a new layout, get it approved and staked so the project could be finished on time.