TROY, Ala.—A dedication ceremony was recently held to celebrate the opening of Troy University’s new Trojan Fitness Center.

The 78,000-square-foot center, which officially opened its doors in January, includes a multi-activity court, a basketball court, free and circuit weight training areas, aerobic exercise rooms, an outdoor swimming pool, a multi-level walking track and four offices.

This $25 million project is a result of a student-led initiative, the center was recommended by Troy University’s Student Government Association and funded through student recreation fees.

RDG Planning & Design’s design, which was completed in partnership with Seay, Seay & Litchfield Architects (Architect-of-Record) was successful in realizing the the students’ vision to create a space supportive of creating healthy, lifelong habits. Whaley Construction Co. Inc. was the general contractor.

“The Trojan Fitness Center creates a home for the university’s Student Wellness Program and serves as a place where students can come together in wellness,” said RDG Principal and Architect Jack Patton, AIA, LEED AP.

“RDG designed the building to blend into Troy’s rich architectural fabric. It embodies the same southern hospitality we came to enjoy while helping Troy envision and create this important facility.”

Located on the corner of George Wallace Drive and University Avenue, the Trojan Fitness Center is one of the first buildings visitors encounter as they enter the campus. Designed to accommodate the fitness and recreational needs of both the students and the larger campus community, the multi-story facility offers vibrant and engaging spaces with strong indoor/outdoor connections.

An open rotunda on the northwest side offers visibility into all three levels of the facility, while a grand staircase serves as a striking visual element within the facility’s highly efficient layout design.

The design incorporates banners, dimensional art, window graphics, wall graphics and signage to create an experience that embraces the entire student body and highlights the nationalities of students who attend the university.

Photographic elements depict the Troy student’s journey—from their first day to graduation day—to the possibilities of professional life. Whimsical drawings of people in action embody the university’s motto, “Educate the mind to think, the heart to feel, and the body to act,” and are carried throughout the building as a symbol of Trojan pride.

Said University Chancellor Dr. Jack Hawkins, Jr., “Not only will it be instrumental in serving those who are currently enrolled, but it will also be an attraction for those who are considering where they want to spend their next four years. As we talk about recruitment and retention, this will add so much value, and there is a strong link between physical fitness and academic success.”

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TROY, N.Y. — The Gene Haas Center for Advanced Manufacturing Skills (CAMS) will be a $14.5 million state-of-the-art training and education facility on Hudson Valley’s Troy campus.

CAMS is envisioned as a one-stop hub to support employee training and recruitment. The building’s design provides corporate partners with access to offices and conference space adjacent to faculty offices, student classrooms and labs. Facilities will be available for corporate demonstration purposes, shared training activities, meetings and events that connect the college to its workforce partners more than ever before.

Troy-based architecture firm Mosaic Associates designed the 37,000-square-foot facility that is expected to be completed this year.

To make CAMS a reality, public sector and private industry investment was crucial. In early 2015, the Hudson Valley Community College Foundation established a capital campaign committee comprised of industry partners and longtime faculty and set out to raise $3.25 million for construction and equipment.

The Advanced Manufacturing Technology program prepares graduates for immediate employment with high-tech manufacturing companies performing advanced machining processes that produce tooling and components used to make everything from electronics and defense equipment, to power generators and aerospace apparatus.

The center will allow the college to double enrollment in the degree program, plus add a new program to fill additional technically related jobs in management, sales, marketing and procurement. The project kicked off in 2015 with a $1 million leadership challenge gift from the Gene Haas Foundation and advanced in August 2016 with a $125,000 donation from Albany-based Simmons Machine Tool Corporation for the construction of a state-of-the-art electro/mechanical industrial maintenance lab.

Mosaic’s design houses student machining labs in the two-story west side of the building, flooded with natural light from clerestory windows. In the east wing, technical labs occupy the first floor and classroom and CAD labs fill the second. A center atrium connects the formal south entrance to the campus quad entrance, with visual transparency from north to south through the building. Highlighted within the center core are student capstone projects and donor displays. Glazing also brightens the faculty and advisement offices and conference rooms at the north facade.

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