SJSU Spartan Recreation and Aquatic Center

Cumming’s Role
Cumming served as the owner’s representative for the new Spartan Recreation Center at San Jose State University.

The Purpose Of This Project
Previously, San Jose State University (SJSU) had both an aquatic center and a recreation center, but they were old and housed in different buildings. An existing aquatic center, and the old recreation center housed in a different building. The Spartan Recreation and Aquatic Center project, which utilized the design-build delivery method, included demolishing the old aquatic center and bringing both facilities together into one new building. The project had a total budget of $138 million and included the construction of two outdoor pools, one 50-meter competitive lap pool with diving platforms, to be used by the University’s swim, diving, and water polo teams, and one recreational pool with surrounding hardscape for recreation use. The 128,000-sq.-ft. building also houses an indoor running track; three full courts for basketball, volleyball, and badminton; and a multi-purpose activity court. There is also a climbing wall and bouldering area inside the rec center, which supports the campus’ Outdoor Adventure group. The rec center features five different workout spaces for cardio, fitness, and free weight equipment; four studios for aerobics, spinning, and fitness classes; separate team and community locker rooms; and offices for coaches and administrative staff.

Project Outcome
The Spartan Recreation and Aquatic Center project achieved LEED Gold certification and was completed well under budget. The project was named by ENR as the “Best Sports and Entertainment Project” in Northern California, and it received a “Structures Award” from the Silicon Valley Business Journal.