University of Guelph, Gryphons Athletics Centre

Guelph, Ontario

Triple Gymnasium, Indoor Track, Fitness Centre, Fitness Studios, Weight Rooms, Sports Medicine Clinic, Assessment Areas, Climbing Wall, Concession
Structural: Blackwell
Mechanical / Electrical: Smith + Andersen
Civil: EMC
Landscape: MJMA
2018 Athletic Business: Facilities of Merit Design Award

The Gryphons Athletics Centre (GAC) houses Guelph University’s ‘Circle of Care’, incorporating Athletics and Recreation, Health Services, Counselling Services, the university’s Student Support Network, and Wellness Education Services. The project is a renovation of an existing athletics and recreational building (the Mitchell Centre) with a 170,000sf expansion. Its design allowed for the continuing operation of the old facility during construction, resolves control and circulation issues throughout the new complex, and provides outstanding program and social spaces.

Careful planning and open circulation maximize visual connections between users and heighten the sense of layered activity spaces, amplifying the vitality of the facility. The design also introduces an abundance of natural light deep into the plan, while frit-patterned glazing manages heat gain and reduces glare in the primary spaces, including the gymnasium.

The GAC is a critical component of a phased project that will rejuvenate and better connect an existing ‘Athletic and Wellness’ campus precinct comprised of several buildings and public spaces.

Serving as a bold new gateway at the northeast end of campus, the building’s faceted forms create projections that define and shelter an entry plaza. This new ‘civic’ space can accommodate gatherings, outdoor wellness programming, casual seating, pedestrian arrivals, and vehicular drop-offs.

Throughout the building, in-between areas are transformed into varied and comfortable spaces that encourage informal student interaction, study gatherings, moments of repose, and opportunities to watch activities, as a way of participating in campus life. The facility balances the needs of high-performance athletics and training with recreation and leisure use.