Texas Recreation & Parks Society’s 2015 state wide Facility Design Excellence award winner is our work in Richardson!
From City of Richardson:
Three of the City of Richardson’s newest recreational facilities recently earned the 2015 Texas Recreation and Park Society (TRAPS) Award for the state’s Best Recreation Facility Design.
Richardson’s award-winning project includes the Heights Recreation Center and two nearby facilities – the Heights Family Aquatics Center and the Richardson Gymnastics Center.
Presented recently at the TRAPS Annual Institute and Expo, the honor recognizes all three facilities for their overall outstanding design elements and functionality, and for offering recreational solutions that meet the needs of the community.
Each year, TRAPS honors individuals and organizations that have delivered significant contributions to the field of parks and recreation. The purpose of the Recreation Facility Design Award is to recognize one recreational facility project that displays a high degree of professional design quality and recreation usage.
“We’re very happy and honored to receive this award,” said Roger Scott, Richardson’s Assistant Director of Parks and Planning. “The successful design of the Heights Recreation Center and its neighboring facilities reflects the citizens’ input on what they want and asked for in terms of recreational amenities from their city. Being recognized for this honor truly took a complete effort by everyone in the city to achieve.”
The Heights Recreation Center is an integral part of the surrounding community, providing visitors with facilities in which to exercise, learn and have fun. It offers a variety of amenities such as a full regulation-sized basketball court in the gymnasium, a dedicated game room, larger fitness and cardio areas with new equipment, updated locker rooms, larger classroom space, a preschool room, an aerobics studio and Wi-Fi Internet access.
Additionally, the Family Aquatics Center, which opened in the summer of 2013, and is located next door to the recreation center, includes modern aquatics amenities such as a zero-entry pool with splash playground, current channel, vortex pool, instructional water area, lap swimming, play features for a variety of ages, a double flume slide and shade structures.
The freestanding Gymnastics Center, located at the southeast corner of Arapaho Road at Grove Road, offers more than 15,000 square feet and provides equipment and space for amateur and competitive gymnastics training and practice, and a multipurpose room for meetings, parties and private events, all of which are upgrades compared to the previous facility. It also is designed to host competitions and tournaments.
All three facilities were funded as part of the City’s 2010 Bond Program. The Heights Recreation Center, Family Aquatics Center and Gymnastics Center were all designed to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification standards. The Gymnastics Center achieved the LEED Silver Certification in 2014 by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).
FROM TRAPS.org:
This project represents the re-creation of the city’s first recreation center and pool. The design concept embodies the city’s tradition of mid-century modern architecture while furthering the goal of creating a sustainable built environment with a strong connection to the surrounding landscape. The design challenge was to replace the old and outdated facilities with minimal down time. Led by a strong design team, this project also incorporates the city’s first significant public art commission, which is serving as a model for future installations.
VIEW THIS PROJECT IN OUR PORTFOLIOSHARE
