The Intramural Sports Building, the oldest university recreational sports facility in the country, will get much-needed updates to its critical infrastructure, along with renovations that will enable the building to deliver on the recreational needs of new generations of users.
A schematic design for the work was approved Thursday by the Board of Regents.
“The IMSB is more than a heritage building, it’s an active part of life for so many in our Michigan community, particularly our students,” said Loren Rullman, associate vice president for Student Life. “That’s why we took the time to really listen to users’ ideas to make the renovated building truly work for them.”
The project will reconfigure existing space within the 106,000-square-foot building to provide larger areas for highly demanded cardio and weight training, new group-exercise rooms, improved racquetball courts and locker rooms, as well as spaces for social interaction.
Critical infrastructure updates include accessibility improvements, mechanical, electrical and plumbing upgrades, wired and wireless networking upgrades, exterior window replacement, masonry repairs, lighting enhancement and gymnasium floor replacement.
Only a minor change will be made to the IMSB’s historic facade, with the addition of an accessibility ramp.
“The IMSB has become my second home and I am truly grateful to have been a part of the design process through Building a Better Michigan,” said Rebecca Sigourney, executive chair of the student group Building a Better Michigan and student coordinator in Intramural Sports.
“The student input throughout the process is really what is going to keep the history and tradition of the building alive, and make it better and brighter at the same time.”
The IMSB is one of most popular facilities in the Department of Recreational Sports. The department employs 600 students, and supports 18,000 student participants in intramural sports and 2,000 in club sport teams. Recreational Sports receives more than 1 million visitors per year to its buildings.
“When the University of Michigan opened the doors to the nation’s first university recreational sports building in 1928, we set a pattern for the rest of the profession. We are extremely pleased that we can bring new life to such an icon, and fresh thinking to campus recreation,” said Mike Widen, director of Recreational Sports.
The architectural firm Integrated Design Solutions, in association with RDG Planning and Design, designed the project.
The schematic design reflects a revised budget of $21.4 million for the project, responding to extensive feedback by users of the facility.
The additional work includes air conditioning and larger rooms for group-exercise classes, which have become an important part of the modern fitness experience.
The project is expected to create an average of 37 on-site construction jobs and is scheduled for completion in the fall of 2016.
The project is part of a unified program by Student Life to improve fitness and recreational sports facilities, including the Central Campus Recreation Building and North Campus Recreation Building. Funding is provided from investment proceeds and the Student Life Student Fee for Facility Renewal.
