Physical fitness and emotional wellbeing often go hand in hand. Sleep and healthy eating can help sharpen a student’s mind before a big exam and working out can help burn off excess stress and maybe even a spare pound or two. Campus rec facilities that feature innovative architectural design can be a focal point for campus communities and an integral piece in helping students to thrive. NIRSA celebrates excellence across campus recreation and wellbeing, and outstanding facility design is no exception.

One NIRSA member school in Worcester, Massachusetts is leveraging its new facility to encourage their nearly 3,000 students to maintain active, healthy lifestyles. The Association is proud to celebrate the College of the Holy Cross’ commitment to providing the higher education experience desired and valued by students, and decorated their recent construction project with a 2022 Outstanding Facilities Award.

About the Jo

Located on the College of the Holy Cross’ upper campus, the Joanne Chouinard-Luth Recreation and Wellness Center is a state-of-the-art hub for recreation, wellness, and intramural sports. It is a breakthrough project for the institution that reshaped the college’s offerings and approach to student experience.


Before “the Jo,” many Holy Cross students recreated at the college’s Field House, a war-surplus hangar brought to the campus in 1947. The beloved Field House was historic—it had hosted dances, commencement ceremonies, and even a memorable 1962 speech from Martin Luther King, Jr. But the time for a new chapter had come.

The 52,000 square feet recreation and wellness center offers crusaders—students, faculty, and staff members—three stories of modern spaces to pursue recreation and wellbeing. The center is home to all club and intramural sports, as well as recreation, fitness, and wellness programming. Technology is intelligently designed throughout the facility to create seamless experiences and maximize the impact on health and wellness.

The building also intentionally unites under one roof many essential community wellbeing partners like the Office of Student Wellness Education, the Office of Worksite Wellness, the Office of Public Safety, and several student organizations. “I love that our offices can share the space and holistically work together to offer programs and services to the college community,” says Jamie Shannon, Director of Campus Rec at Holy Cross.

Extensive planning and campus engagement informed the Jo’s construction—one of four major capital projects, alongside key projects for athletics, faith, and performing arts, funded by the college’s $420 million Become More fundraising campaign to ensure its students develop into effective, ethical leaders. This expansive effort helped ensure the campus body’s needs could be served through new spaces and programs. Some of the Jo’s key spaces include:

  • Multi-use recreation courts for activities like basketball, volleyball, badminton and more
  • A 1/10-mile, indoor running track
  • Student lounges for studying, socializing, collaborating, meeting, and more
  • More than 50+ different cardio machines
  • Large weight training areas
  • Two multipurpose rooms for team and group training
  • Relaxation space
  • Men’s and women’s locker rooms
  • Wellness programming spaces for all students
  • Dynamic environmental graphics
  • Golf simulator lab
  • Areas for spinning, yoga, and other recreational activities
  • Beautiful green space and a landscaped path for outdoor rec opportunities in warmer months

“In addition to the abundance of cardio and strength equipment, the multipurpose and Spin studios offer the potential for classes and programs the college has never previously had dedicated space for,” adds Jamie.

The building features extensive use of glass and open visual sightlines to increase interest in recreation and wellness on campus and to support inclusion and safety. The multi-level windows on all sides of the building help to create a bright, inviting space for the entire community.

“It’s exciting to win a NIRSA Outstanding Facilities Award for this project because it means the College’s priority of health and wellness is recognized on a national level. Holy Cross is very appreciative to receive this award and to have this facility available for students, faculty, and staff,” says Jamie Shannon, Director of Campus Recreation at the College of the Holy Cross.

About the lead architect

College of the Holy Cross’ new recreation and wellness center has become a visual beacon for the campus thanks in no small part to the expertise of lead architect CannonDesign. A NIRSA member for more than 25 years and a Bronze Partner of the association, CannonDesign has been at the forefront of optimizing recreation and wellness spaces to help students thrive.

“The Jo has been a dream project for our team,” Colleen McKenna, CannonDesign’s Director, Sports, Recreation and Wellness Practice, says. “The vision Holy Cross had for this collegiate recreation building, bringing it to life—and now seeing it breathe exciting new energy into their campus culture, student experience, recreation programming and more—it’s just wonderful.”

Inspired by the best attributes of human-centered and systems-based design methods, their work addresses challenges through the lens of the broader ecosystems they exist within—helping organizations and communities realize more impactful, systemic change. A recent and exciting shift in campus recreation and wellness facility design is the infusion of holistic health resources, explains Christopher Whitcomb, Director of Media Relations at CannonDesign.

“Today, campus recreation center design is about much more than just physical health,” Chris shares. “Colleges and universities are creating dynamic hubs where students can simultaneously learn about healthy diets, exercise, meet with a therapist, grab coffee with friends, engage in physical therapy, play basketball, pursue crossfit, practice yoga, meditate, or participate esports,” he adds.

Through their Living-Centered Design approach, CannonDesign leverages architecture, interior design, engineering, and more, to help clients map their facilities to their student body, campus culture, and overarching mission. “We consistently find new ways to deliver successful projects that are beautiful, sustainable, efficient, effective and adaptable for the future,” says Chris.

Founded in 1945, CannonDesign has grown to be recognized as one of the leading design firms in the world. The firm has been honored with more than 600 awards for design excellence and innovation in the last 15 years alone. Their contributions to the Joanne Chouinard-Luth Recreation and Wellness Center were distinguished with a 2022 NIRSA Outstanding Facilities Award.

“The fact the project has received a NIRSA Outstanding Sports Facility Award, it’s just a wonderful moment and project on every front,” Colleen says.

About NIRSA’s Outstanding Facilities Awards

The annual NIRSA Outstanding Facilities Awards recognize the innovative designs of new, renovated, or expanded collegiate recreational facilities of NIRSA member institutions. Winning facilities are considered a standard by which other campus recreation facilities should be measured, and from which others can benefit.

Applications for the 2023 class of NIRSA Outstanding Facilities Award recipients will open in the fall. Eligibility guidelines, selection criteria, and entry fee details can be found on the NIRSA website.

  • For more information, contact the NIRSA Member Relations Manager, Sarah Leskovec.