Quinnipiac University’s Recreation and Wellness Center

“Representative of our vision to prepare our students for success,” and “the key to a new worldview” – that’s how the remarkable new Recreation and Wellness Center at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut is described by this institution’s leaders.

Opened in 2022, the facility was innovatively designed in all aspects to educate and care for the whole person: body, mind and spirit. Of the new 60,000-sq ft space (adjoining the previous existing 100,000-sq ft Athletic and Recreation Center, 15,000 is dedicated to health and counseling services through a partnership with Hartford HealthCare. There are also four fitness studios, one with a retractable wall, as well as a central courtyard, amphitheatre, firepit and more.

The design of the building itself also promotes connection to the natural world and optimum health and wellness through the integrated use of timber, wood paneling, local stone features and interior green walls.

Wood is also present within the load-bearing Timber Curtain Walls (THERM + H-I 76 on 80mm spruce glulam with double thermo glazing) by Unicel Architectural.

The unique combination of warm wood, clean sightlines and extensive glass in the Timber Curtain Wall was sought in order to provide students with a high degree of comfort, connection to the environment and the most natural, health-promoting light possible.

Customizable in a variety of vertical facades or sloped glass roofs, and with German engineering at their core, Timber Curtain Walls seamlessly combine timber of your choice, steel, aluminum and glass in an unprecedented fashion. They can also accommodate insulating glass units, with a highly-efficient thermal insulation of Um,t = 0.80 W/(m²K) (0.14 Btu/hr-sq ft °F). Indeed, many other efficient features were part of the entire building design of Quinnipiac University’s Recreation and Wellness Center, aligned to achieve LEED gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

More and more architectural firms are including Timber Curtain Walls in their building designs, including many pioneering and spectacular projects related to education and health. Because they provide strong connection to nature through timber and extensive views of the landscape – in this case, of nearby Sleeping Giant State Park – as well as comfort and efficiency, Timber Curtain Walls form an integral and stunning part of many buildings such as the Quinnipiac University Recreation and Wellness Center.