What’s new?

By Dee Ann Rexroat

Cornell is launching a $19 million Athletic and Wellness Facilities Project, transforming our current athletics headquarters into a contemporary and welcoming health, wellness, and sport center for all Cornellians.

The central lobby will be a gathering space and area for Cornellians and guests to sit, relax, and enjoy the building.
The central lobby will be a gathering space and area for Cornellians and guests to sit, relax, and enjoy the building.

Here’s what’s new:

Health and Wellness Center: A new Health and Wellness Center will span both floors of the building. The upper level is a fitness area that will broadly appeal to faculty, staff, and students. The lower level includes a turf strip adjacent to the power-lifting space for stretching, short sprints, speed and agility training, and tire and rope workouts. Both floors are visually open to one another, fostering a sense of community.

Locker rooms: They will be redesigned and expanded, and a new flex locker room will have 50 lockers on each side to be used in its entirety or partitioned. The addition of a campus community-visiting team locker room will eliminate a barrier to hosting local and regional tournaments.

Gym floor: The original floor will be replaced by a new floor with floating technology to create an impact-absorbing cushion and decrease the likelihood of repetitive use injuries.

Offices and conference rooms: The current space is grossly inadequate and will be addressed with air-conditioned office space for all administrative and head coaches in one area.

Group exercise: A group exercise space will support a variety of fitness classes.

Entrances and lobby: A new public entrance will be added, along with one on the west side to serve teams moving between the building and fields and teams arriving for competition. The central lobby will become a gathering space. It will feature a concession area and space for people to sit, relax, and enjoy the building.