|
Chester, PA —
Nearly two hundred Widener University students and faculty
members gathered in the Wellness Center on campus to celebrate
the grand opening of this new addition to the Schwartz Physical
Education Center on Wednesday, April 5 at noon.
“As students and faculty, there are few opportunities to
dedicate a magnificent building like this and be able to look
back in the future and say ‘I was there when that first
opened.’” Widener University President James Harris said at the
dedication ceremony. Harris added that the athletic facility
strongly supports the university’s motto - “strong mind and
strong body.”
The 28,000 s.f. Wellness Center addition is two-stories with a
balcony overlooking the ground level and features a two-story
glass curtain wall. Students now have the opportunity to take
advantage of dozens of pieces of Life Fitness exercise equipment
in the facility along with a 24 foot high climbing wall. The
Wellness Center also contains a new athlete training area, a
film viewing room for athletes and students, and two aerobic
rooms.
Students like Senior Alexis Brook are excited about what the
new facility brings to the campus. As a member of the Widener
soccer team, Brook said she believes it will help “enhance team
unity” and “boost more healthy lifestyles.”
The students, and more specifically the Student Government
Association, were instrumental in conducting research to
determine what students wanted in this facility.
From there, Widener University hired The Collaborative, an
Ohio based architectural planning firm, to create a master plan
for a new health and fitness facility along with an improved
streetscape to the center. They later selected Nason
Construction, Inc., headquartered in Wilmington, DE, to team
with The Collaborative and provide design-build services for the
$9.2 million Wellness Center.
“It’s been a joy to work with Nason Construction, from the
management to the on site team,” Harris said following the
dedication. “Nason often went to extraordinary lengths to keep
the project on time and on budget.”
Nason Construction completed the project on a fast-track
schedule with only three months for design and six months for
construction. This required that multiple trades work
simultaneously in the same space and during peak construction,
more than 70 men working on site at the same time.
In addition to the tight schedule, the structure was a
challenge to construct due to the radial exterior and various
levels that required the masonry and steel to be installed in
multiple phases. As part of their contract, Nason completed
major sitework improving the streetscape on 17th
Street leading up to the facility.
Established in 1922, Nason Construction provides construction
management, design-build, and general contracting services for
commercial, institutional, and government clients in Delaware,
Maryland, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
# #
#
For more information on Nason Construction, Inc. please contact
Julleanna Seely at jseely@nasonconstruction.com
|
