When students at the University of Missouri – St Louis voted to tax themselves to build the Student Recreation and Wellness Center (RWC), one of the reasons they did so was so they could workout in a more light-filled environment.
For nearly five decades, UMSL’s campus recreational programs shared space with its athletic teams and athletes in the Mark Twain Athletic Complex. Both operations outgrew the shared space a long time ago and, according to Yvette Kell, director of campus recreation, that’s why the RWC is benefiting everyone. “Students have this great new space for recreation, while athletics has been able to renovate the space we vacated to benefit athletes,” Kell says.
The new, three-story rec center, which opened in fall of 2015, is flooded with natural light that fills the building through floor-to-ceiling windows on each floor. “It’s a very open design with a lot of open space and a huge atrium,” Kell says. “From the lobby, you can see all three floors. There’s a lot of natural light that comes deep into the building and helps create the open feel students envisioned.”
The 101,000-square-foot facility includes a three-court gymnasium (including a one-court MAC), an indoor fitness and recreation pool, expansive eight and fitness areas, and four group exercise rooms. It has a three-lane jogging track that provides an optional two lane extension with elevation changes. Other amenities including a juice bar, a bouldering wall, a wet multipurpose room, two saunas, a spa, and administration offices.