The Richard J. Currie Center at the University of New Brunswick provides facilities for high-performance and recreational athletes, expanded research capacity, and offers a ceremonial community gathering space to allow the campus to celebrate events. Different options were considered for the location of the building and the final setting had the facility perched on a hillside, making it an impressive and technically challenging site. At five storeys, the building required significant excavation to accommodate entry at grade level.

Working collaboratively with Sasaki Associates and ADI, we addressed the challenges of the site’s scenic hillside location by working with its steep siting. While gym services are typically spread out over a single level, this facility uniquely arranges space vertically. The centre includes three full-sized gyms that accommodate a variety of recreation and fitness activities that are available to students, faculty, staff, and members of the greater Fredericton community. Featuring stunning views, varsity teams use the upper floors for competitive play, which have been designed with a clean aesthetic in mind to allow them to be converted into elegant ceremonial space as required for events such as yearly graduations.