Earlier this year, the Wellness and Success Center at the University of Houston – Downtown was recognized with a NIRSA Outstanding Facilities Award. The 74,000 square foot space, which opened in January 2023, was created to provide the campus community with a welcoming facility that incorporates multiple aspects of wellness and celebrates the campus’s identity.
Prior to the construction of the Wellness and Success Center, the role of student gathering place was filled by the Jesse H. Jones Student Life Center. In the 25 years since that building was constructed, the student enrollment at University of Houston – Downtown more than doubled; the Student Life Center no longer had adequate capacity to accommodate this larger student body. Architects SmithGroup and HarrisonKornberg Architects focused on creating a facility that would not only meet the university’s current and future space needs, but also be accessible and welcoming. This would help build community at a university whose student body consists entirely of commuter students.
Kalman Nagy, Design Principal at SmithGroup, states, “The building’s location was extremely challenging and a driving force to the building’s dramatic shape and design. Adjacent to White Oak Bayou, we had to design for substantial flood mitigation requirements, accommodate future campus growth, and the activity spaces had to take advantage of the amazing views of the Houston Skyline. The result is a beautiful and bold solution that solves the technical challenges of the site while elegantly reaching out and engaging with the city.”
The Wellness and Success Center’s entrance is oriented towards the Bayou Trail—one of the campus’s primary pathways—providing convenient and welcoming access to the facility. The three-story structure minimizes the building’s footprint, preserving space that can be used to accommodate future growth, and makes extensive use of glass to incorporate natural light into the facility’s design. “Natural light floods every part of the building, making it very inviting,” says Daniel Kornberg, Principal at HarrisonKornberg. An outdoor terrace gives students a place to mingle and relax while taking in the beautiful skyline of downtown Houston.
The Wellness and Success Center supports club sports, intramurals, and individual fitness activities, featuring exercise studios, cardio equipment, a bouldering wall, an indoor running track, and basketball/volleyball courts. Recognizing that fitness is not the only aspect of wellness, the building also contains multiple locations for students to relax, study, participate in tutoring or counseling sessions, or even expand their knowledge of nutrition by visiting the demonstration kitchen. The building’s thoughtful and comprehensive design allows its users to fully explore all aspects of wellness in a single setting. Kornberg notes, “This is such a wonderful facility for the students and staff of UHD. Not only will it contribute to increasing enrollment, it should improve general wellbeing and academic performance too.”
NIRSA is pleased to recognize the University of Houston – Downtown, SmithGroup, and HarrisonKornberg Architects for their collaboration on this beautiful and functional facility. Applications for the 2025 Outstanding Facilities Awards open Fall 2024.
“Winning an Outstanding Facilities Award for UH Downtown is so rewarding because of what this building means for the students as a hub for community and wellbeing,” says Clint Menefee, Principal in Charge, SmithGroup. “This facility had to be so many things for so many different people and I am just incredibly proud that it is fulfilling those needs and being recognized for it. Thank you, NIRSA!”
Natasha Fischer is currently the Member Engagement Manager at NIRSA.
