UDM’s McNichols campus in Detroit, Mich., will be the site of a new 40,000-square-foot fitness center this September that university officials say will serve as a centerpiece for student life and provide a wide range of activities.

“After years of planning, the new facility will be located on the campus next to the engineering building,” says Tamara Batcheller, associate vice president of facilities management at UDM. “The student fitness center will enjoy a prominent location facing the campus mall and allow inviting views into the building from the street. The new facility will enhance and expand recreation program offerings and provide a destination for students, staff and alumni.”

Designed by TMP Architecture of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., the $6.7 million facility is being constructed in two phases. The first phase will feature a two-court gymnasium — on the ground level — for recreation and intramural sports, an elevated three-lane track, group exercise room, men’s and women’s locker rooms, exercise and weight-lifting rooms, cardiovascular workout rooms, a lobby, student lounge and snack bar area.

“The student lounge will be an informal hangout spot for students to interact with one another and with faculty; a destination rather than simply a lobby,” says David Larson, senior vice president and director of design at TMP Architecture. “From the lounge, glass walls allow deep views into the building, contributing to a welcome and exciting environment. The upper level running track will also be visible as it extends around the perimeter of the gym, skirts the edge of the weight fitness areas, and reaches out over the lounge area.”

Phase two — to be completed after further fundraising — will include an eight-lane pool for competitive meets and recreational swimming with spectator seating, a concessions area, team locker rooms, and additional offices with an alumni boardroom.

A Nod to the Past
When TMP first began discussions with UDM in 2007, the university was very clear that the design emulate the vernacular of the original university structures that used stone veneer, punched fenestration and clay tile roofing reminiscent of mission architecture of the 1800s, says Larson.

“The UDM campus, like many campuses across the country, has buildings that are expressions of various architectural styles and the current campus administration wanted this new building to be an expression of their original mission architectural roots. To this end, we developed variations of the UDM mission context, but used glass more generously to allow better views inside and outside of this building. The result is a building that is comfortable with its surroundings, but still fresh, modern and welcoming.”

The entry will include a two-story glass front and pedestrian canopy, and the brick structure will have a large span of windows and vaulted ceilings. The facility has also been organized around a dramatic circulation spine that allows easy access to all amenities.

“The building is visually transparent, allowing views into most of the activity areas, creating a vibrant and exciting atmosphere,” adds Batcheller.

Mother Nature Has Been Kind
The Monahan Company of Eastpointe, Mich., is the general contractor. Construction began last November and is slated for completion this August.

“Our biggest challenge is the schedule,” says W. Dan Monahan, project director. “With starting the building in November, half of the ten months we have to construct the building is winter construction. The building envelope will not be complete enough to initiate interior construction until mid-April. That gives us four months to build out the interior. Challenge is one way to describe it.”

Monahan adds that the team has been extremely lucky with the weather, having made good progress with site excavation and foundations. Steel was due to be erected shortly with masonry scheduled for late February.

“Most of the exterior walls are 30-foot tall decorative block and cast stone construction,” says Monahan.

For TMP, the biggest challenge was to provide the right architectural image within the budget. This was no small task as it required the efforts of all disciplines to develop systems and material choices. Fortunately, the structural framing is very basic, says Larson.

“Ductwork and air handlers were placed to minimize sheet metal, and the footprint was compressed enough to eliminate the need for the expensive fireproofing of the structural steel.”

From a design standpoint, he adds that the most unique aspect of this project was finding the appropriate balance between the existing mission architectural language, while introducing a modern feel and transparency to express the fact that this is a fitness center and not an academic building.

“We had a wonderful dialog with UDM to arrive at a design that we all felt proud of. This is an important facility for UDM — an essential recruitment tool and the first new structure on the campus in 40 years. It had to be right.”

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The projects include a $45.3 million replacement to Martin Luther King High School. The new building will have a cyber café and media center and will connect to the current school’s auditorium and performing arts center, both of which will be remodeled. When complete by September 2011, the high school will house a new varsity gymnasium and a 10-lane swimming pool. MLK students will attend classes in the existing facility throughout construction; once students are relocated, the old building will be demolished. Jenkins Construction Inc. of Detroit was hired as the general contractor for the project.

The K-12 John R. King Academic and Performing Arts Academy and the PK-8 Garvey Academy will both receive major renovations that will be completed over the summer. Both buildings are expected to reopen before the fall 2010 semester begins.

The $10.2 million John R. King project includes building a black box theatre and upgrading the school’s technology, science laboratories, security offices, and building systems. At Garvey Academy, $8.6 million will be used to improve building infrastructure in the school’s academic areas. The centerpiece of improvements to Garvey will be the addition of the Harambee Centre, which is slated to become a new gathering space for the school’s African culturally-centered curriculum. White Construction Company and Dumas Concepts in Building, both of Detroit, were awarded contracts for John R. King and Garvey academies, respectively.

School officials expect the first of the three projects to employ around 1,375 area residents. All three general contractors agreed to hire 40-60-percent Detroit-headquartered subcontractors.

Detroit voters’ approval of the Proposal S Bond Referendum last November enabled the district to access $500.5 million in interest-free bonds through the Build America Bond program, a part of the federal stimulus package. Federal regulations stipulate the bond monies must be spent within three years.

The $500.5 million investment represents phase one of the DPS’s master facilities plan, which includes $25 million for upgrades at Denby High School, a new Crockett High School, and a $55 million replacement for Mumford High School. Another $20.6 million will be invested into improvements at Ford High School. Detroit’s Central High School will be rebranded as the Central Collegiate Academy PK-20 campus, a post-secondary school, as part of phase one, and other school improvements will take place throughout the city.

Phase two involves investing $500 million into further improvements at Detroit public schools, scheduled for completion by 2015.

For phase one, district officials expect $315 million to support new construction, $165 million to go towards renovations, and nearly $20 million used to decommission and demolish vacant and unneeded schools. Earlier this year, demolition crews tore down 10 vacant school buildings in Detroit.

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