VMDO Architects

By embracing the connections between health, wellness, fitness, nutrition, and sport, the University of Richmond sends a powerful message with their new Basketball Practice and Well-Being Center. This unique project creates a comprehensive center for students that promotes both high achievement and a well-balanced life on campus.

Nestled between Millhiser Gym and the Weinstein Center at the heart of campus, the project mends together aspects of the site while making critical new connections. Guided by recent planning efforts, VMDO created a vibrant, hybrid building that honors the distinctive collegiate gothic heritage that is the hallmark of the University of Richmond.

The Queally Athletics Center, containing Spider Hall and the Basketball Practice Facility, is a state-of-the-art home for training and performance that is taking the University of Richmond basketball programs to the next level. The facility builds on the university’s commitment to collegiate sport while conveying principles of integrity, passion, and perseverance to student athletes and staff.

Located next door, the Well-Being Center provides a balance of health, wellness, and socializing opportunities that maximize student engagement. While many student health centers mirror the private sector in their design, this facility is designed to maximize accessibility and deepen service offerings through care that’s attuned to student needs and behaviors.

The Well-Being Center houses the Student Health Center, Counseling and Psychological Services, and health promotion and nutrition services. Locating these critical student services in a single location enhances the university’s ability to provide integrated support for students when they need care and also when they want to be proactive about their health. Effective arrangements of multi-disciplinary program spaces combined with an abundance of daylight, interior gardens, healthy food options, and the expression of natural materials enhance the spirit of well-being in the building and on campus.

The University of Richmond’s Basketball Practice and Well-Being Center honors the distinctive and historic collegiate gothic architectural heritage that is the hallmark of the University of Richmond. The design takes cues from Ralph Adams Cram’s original architectural vision – and abides by the enduring principles of mass, material, expression, and detail to keep this new facility seamlessly aligned with the campus’ historic influences. A portal joining old and new buildings, the facility is forward-looking while signaling the enduring qualities of the student-centered programs inside.

Respect for campus context is evident in the careful brickwork of the facility and in the meticulously researched custom limestone profiles used throughout the design to compose signature features like the gothic arches and oriel window. With special attention for refined contextual design and architectural craft, the design reinforces the strong tradition of carefully-scaled quads and campus passageways to create a student destination at a significant crossroads.

The Basketball Practice Facility acts as a vital resource for student athletes and staff through support of the University of Richmond athletics programs and ensuring students are at the top of their game. The courts are conceived not only as ‘practice’ spaces, but simultaneously as ‘training’ spaces that coincide with the mission of the adjacent Well-Being Center. Recognizing the physical rigor expected of student athletes, the facility provides an array of amenities that allow players to hone their craft while maintaining personal health and wellness. In addition to a state-of-the-art gymnasium practice court, the center offers strength and conditioning rooms, a hydrotheraphy room, and spaces for team meeting and interaction that strengthen team dynamics.

Adjacent to the Practice Court, Spider Hall and the Academic Success Center provide spaces for study and group gathering, supporting the student athlete in their time both on and off the court.

Adjacent to the Practice Court, the previous Millhiser Gym was re-imagined and transformed into a dedicated Academic Success Center. This adaptive re-use component fosters intensive academic tutoring, both from faculty and amongst peers. Group study rooms and seminar spaces surroud a large, flexible learning lounge space that provides comfortable seating for informal group and individual study. Computer workstations, and printing and copying stations are provided as resources, and each group study space has the full complmenet of digital tools to permit both virtual and in-person academic training. Basketball operations and coaches’ offices occupy the new mezzanine level above the previous gymnasium space- the floor of which is still visible beneath active study groups.

The programmatic adjacency of the Practice Court, Academic Success Center, and Well-Being Center demonstrates the symbiosis of their individual services, bringing together a full campus experience under one roof.

The Well-Being Center promotes connectivity between fitness, health, and well-being to help students holistically learn how to cope with stress and other life challenges during their time on campus. Rigorous planning and programming investigated an upstream approach to health promotion that leverages adjacencies with athletics, academics, student health, health promotions, and Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) to build foundational support for healthy habits and a sense of well-being on campus.

The project creates a comprehensive center for students that aligns programs supporting both high achievement and a well-balanced life on campus. The Practice Facility conveys principles of integrity, passion, and perseverance to student athletes and attendees. The Well-Being Center provides a balance of health, wellness, and socializing opportunities that maximize student engagement. Effective arrangements of thoughtful program spaces and multi-disciplinary collaboration combine with an abundance of daylight, interior gardens, and natural materials to embrace the paradigm shift of promoting well-being versus treating illness.