Provo Recreation Center Meets Needs of a Diverse Community

The Provo Recreation Center was designed to meet a variety of needs in this growing city. Home to Brigham Young University, Provo has a young population that values recreation and health, so its residents passed a $39-million bond measure in 2010 to move this project forward.

Photo courtesy of Layton Construction Co.

The center's aquatics area features leisure pools, water slides, hot tubs and a competition pool.

Photo courtesy of Layton Construction Co.

The 160,000-sq-ft facility also houses classrooms and multi-purpose rooms with kitchen facilities.

The center's aquatics area features leisure pools, water slides, hot tubs and a competition pool with changing rooms. A bouldering cave, weight-lifting and cardio area, fitness studio, running track, basketball courts, racquetball courts and children's indoor playground round out the amenities.

Designed also to function as a community center, the 160,000-sq-ft facility houses classrooms and multi-purpose rooms with kitchen facilities, a welcome resource for senior citizens and community groups.

The city's first challenge was to locate a convenient central site for the facility. An aging senior center and community center located next to an outdoor pool were in dire need of updating. Demolishing the old structures and replacing them with the recreation center proved beneficial. However, the team found several unforeseen site conditions, including a buried swimming pool, old building slabs, abandoned or broken utilities and an unmarked fiber-optic main line that had to be relocated.

The project team resolved issues through timely and open communication. Excavation for the pools took place next to where flat concrete floors were placed to build multiple full-size basketball courts. Working through a winter season before the building was enclosed also added to the project's complexity.

Construction was phased so that the senior center, teen center and existing recreation center could all remain open, serving the public and allowing staff to function. Senior citizens traveled daily to the senior center for lunch. Early demolition of the building would have curtailed the meals program. In addition, by delaying demolition of the old recreation center, the city continued to generate revenue throughout most of the construction project.

Best Intermountain Sports/Entertainment Project

Provo Recreation Center

Provo, Utah

Key Players

Owner Provo City Parks & Recreation, Provo, Utah

Architect VCBO Architecture LLC, Salt Lake City

Consulting Architect Barker Rinker Seacat Architecture, Denver

General Contractor Layton Construction Co., Sandy, Utah

Civil Engineer Bush & Gudgell, Salt Lake City

Structural Engineer Reaveley Engineers & Associates, Salt Lake City

Electrical Engineer ECE Electrical Consulting Engineers LLC, Salt Lake City

MEP Engineer Heath Engineering, Salt Lake City