Brock University’s Zone Fitness Centre has won a national award for excellence.
The 15,500-square-foot facility was recently named the winner of the 2022 National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA) Outstanding Facility Award.
“The award is a tribute to all who were involved in this project, especially the students who had the vision to lead and support the project financially,” said Karen McAllister-Kenny, Director, Brock Recreation. “Providing more access for activity to all Brock students is something that we can all be very proud of. This beautiful new space will be well used in the years to come.”
The NIRSA Outstanding Facility Award recognizes excellence in the innovative designs of new, renovated and/or expanded collegiate recreation and wellness facilities.
The awards committee consists of members from some of the United States’ largest universities and colleges, such as Louisiana State University, University of Central Florida and the University of Texas.
The nomination detailed the complex construction challenges faced by the building’s architect, mcCallumSather, and Aquicon Construction. This included navigating an innovative construction path to the work site, which was an enclosed courtyard in the heart of Brock’s Walker Sports Complex.
In March 2021, the Zone officially opened and tripled the size of the original facility. The new Zone debuted a modern destination for health and wellness and met four of the five campus planning principles: support academic mission, enhance the campus experience, engage, and integrate with the community and foster sustainability.
The Brock University Students’ Union (BUSU) has worked tirelessly on the project, which spanned several years of student executives, including presidents Patrick Foster (2016-17), Faisal Hejazi (2017-18), Aidan Hibma (2018-19), Bilal Khan (2019-2020) and Asad Jalib (2020-21). The Graduate Students’ Association, and President Christopher Yendt, have also been involved through the years.
“Since early 2018, BUSU executives, alongside Brock, have successfully managed the funding, design and construction of The Zone expansion project, while having to navigate a global pandemic during the final stretch,” said current BUSU President Rafay Rehan. “With The Zone’s renovations complete, we are proud to provide students with a top-tier fitness facility that will be used by generations of Brock students to come.”
The award will be presented at the 72nd annual NIRSA Conference in Portland, Ore., on March 29.
