West campus groundbreaking celebrates Sun Devil Fitness Complex

ASU President Michael M. Crow joined students, faculty, staff and community supporters on the West campus April 24 to break ground for the new 63,000-square-foot Sun Devil Fitness Complex, set to open in January 2013.

The Sun Devil Fitness Complex is funded by a student government-endorsed facility fee and is one of three major construction projects in progress on campus. A new residence hall and a dining facility are due to open at the beginning of the fall 2012 semester in August.

The new fitness complex will offer ten times as much space as the existing facility at the West campus. Amenities will include weight and fitness equipment, fitness studios, an outdoor pool and fields, gymnasium, racquetball courts, and wellness service space including a demonstration kitchen for healthy food preparation.

Two multipurpose studios in the center will be used for group fitness classes and student club activities. A two-court gymnasium will accommodate basketball, volleyball and badminton, and two racquetball courts also are included. Sand volleyball and outdoor basketball courts will be available on the south side of the new facility, and the existing field north of the project site will be renovated for use as a student quad and recreational play field.

In addition to Crow, speakers at the groundbreaking event included Elizabeth Langland, dean of ASU’s New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences; Mistalene Calleroz White, dean of students at the West campus; and Josh Tucker, West campus student government president. Fitness staff were on hand showing off some of the new fitness equipment that will be available for use in the new facility.

“Students have been involved from the very beginning of the planning process for the Sun Devil Fitness Complex, from the arrangement of physical space to the conception of programming priorities,” said Calleroz White. “This process, from creation to completion, is being driven by students. The fitness complex, along with the two other new buildings, will truly transform the experience at the West campus. Students, current and prospective, are extremely excited about what the future holds.”

The project architect is Architekton + 360 Architecture; the construction manager is Haydon Building Corp. The Sun Devil Fitness Complex is expected to earn a minimum of LEED Silver certification.

Information about ASU’s West campus is available at http://campus.asu.edu/west.