At The College of New Rochelle, wellness is much more than the latest buzzword. Promoting wellness of the body, mind, and spirit is a way of life that stretches across our curriculum and our student activities. With the opening of the new $28 million Wellness Center in 2008, CNR moves to the next level in wellness education.
Designed by ikon.5 architects, The Wellness Center offers a holistic learning environment that will serve as the hub for integrated interdisciplinary health and wellness education programs to be delivered at CNR and to the larger community.
The athletic, recreational and educational complex is home to the College's NCAA Division III athletic programs, clubs, and physical education department. The culmination of years of planning, the state-of-the-art center includes an array of features:
- Gymnasium equipped with competition-size a basketball court and volleyball court and arena-style bleachers for 1,000 people
- Interior running track suspended above the gym floor
- Six-lane NCAA competition-size swimming pool, lockers, and showers
- Fitness and weight room
- Technologically equipped classrooms
- Holistic Meditation Room
- Contemplation Roof Garden
Significant planning done by the College and ikon.5 has ensured that the building is environmentally sound. The College is pursuing the prestigious LEED “Silver” rating certified by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for the Wellness Center, which qualifies it as “green” in a number of ways. The below-grade portion of the building utilizes the grade above for a roof garden. A large percentage of the building is constructed with local and regional materials and environmentally friendly recycled materials.
Recycled crushed glass and recycled blast furnace slag were mixed into the concrete used for the polished floor slabs, thus consuming less concrete and using material that would otherwise end up in a landfill. The building also has a heat recovery system to recycle energy, so that warm air, instead of being discharged from the building, runs through a system of pipes to warm the pool water and pool area.
The Wellness Center is designed with large windows, including six skylights, so large amounts of daylight reach the pool area, concourse, gymnasium and the multi-purpose rooms. Thus, the building reduces its dependence on artificial (energy-using) light sources. All of these choices in design and construction earn points towards the LEED certification.