Westminster Health & Wellness
Salt Lake City, UT
Westminster College is unlike any other higher education facility in the state of Utah, differentiated by its dense urban campus.
VCBO Architecture created a design solution that integrates health and wellbeing into the heart of the college through an imaginatively conceived central campus recreation center where healthy activities are celebrated and accessible—from swimming to soccer, from running to aerobics, and from weight training to climbing. The design of the Health, Wellness and Athletic Center building echoes several features of the century-old Converse Hall, Westminster’s “first and flagship building.” The terra-cotta-colored brick with limestone accents, the distinctive gabled windows, and the modern Gothic style tie the building into Westminster College’s traditional heritage.
In keeping with the College’s commitment to enduring quality, it was a conscious decision to invest in brick masonry not only for the obvious aesthetic tie-in, but also to construct a lasting facility that would ensure the College’s investment remains sound for years to come. The original Westminster College building, Converse Hall, constructed of clay brick, remains in use to this day. Through repeating this design element—the use of clay brick—the Health, Wellness and Athletic Center can be expected to similarly endure.
The quality and appropriateness of the Health, Wellness, and Athletic Center is clear. It belongs in its campus setting and provides the continuity the College desired, through the use of masonry and architectural elements that match those of the beloved historic buildings, while pointing toward the future through functional design that provides students with a state of the art recreation experience.