RDG in the Media: How Evolving Technology Influences Campus Recreation Facility Design
Jack Patton speaks to Athletic Business Magazine about how technological innovations impact the design of recreational facilities.
Recreation center design requires a different mindset than it did even a few years ago due to rapidly evolving technology. From advances in heating, ventilation and air conditioning to materials used to enhance aesthetics, changes in technology influence how users interact with and experience facilities, thus impacting design and construction. Athletic Business Magazine interviewed designers and architects, including RDG Architect and Principal Jack Patton, AIA, to discuss how architects leverage this new technology.
Patton shared that wellness is essential in college and community recreation, including good nutrition, air and sustainability practices. New developments in mechanical must-haves, like HVAC systems, are providing the opportunity to reinforce the pillar of wellness. Air-handling systems now come equipped with sensors that can gauge the number of humans in a given space and their activity levels to adjust the air quality. The sensors can also detect chloramine levels in natatorium air to fight bacteria more effectively.
New technology expands beyond daily operations, too. Recreational facilities are implementing trends such as vending machines for sports and exercise equipment, autonomous field-marking equipment, polychromatic windows and seeing advances in group exercise with leaderboard tracking to present more of that ‘wow-factor’ for users.