Though the building was paid for through private funding and student fees, there was no need to skimp on quality as far as the construction of the new Columbus State University Student Recreation Center was concerned. School officials were able to raise $26 million for the project, guaranteeing the 106,000 sq. ft. facility had all the features students wanted and a look befitting its campus location. In addition to limestone accent walls, the exterior of the recreation center features ALPOLIC aluminum composite metal wall panels. The material was fabricated for the project by Altech Panels Systems.
Columbus State University is located in Columbus, GA and like Altech, which is based in Cartersville, GA, most of the players involved in the project were from the surrounding area. The building was designed by Lyman Davidson Dooley Inc. of Marietta, GA; the general contractor was Brasfield & Gorrie of Kennesaw, GA; and SECO Architectural Systems Inc. of Snellville, GA, handled the ACM panel installation. The ALPOLIC ACM was manufactured by Mitsubishi Plastics Composites America Inc. of Chesapeake, VA.
The Student Recreation Center is a major hub for student life, offering CSU students a place to play and socialize. Completed in September 2010, the building houses a fitness area along with an aquatic center. It features two basketball courts, workout area, two aerobic rooms, free weight area, running track, multi-purpose court, two racquetball courts, indoor soccer, volleyball, and large event area. The Aquatics Center consists of a 25 yard lap pool, a one meter diving board, leisure pool, therapy pool, and sauna.
Dave McCauley, AIA, is the director of Lyman Davidson Dooley’s Recreation Studio and a principal at the firm. He said his firm went with ACM over brake metal because the thickness of the ACM eliminates the potential for oil canning that can occur when creating radiused surfaces. Altech was a trusted source for the precision fabrication of the panels and rose to the challenge by employing sophisticated computer aided design tools for everything from shop drawings to actual panel creation.
In all, the building features some 21,000 sq. ft. of the Silver Metallic-finished ACM panels. The ALPOLIC material selected for the project was Mitsubishi’s standard 4mm-thick, PE-cored product.
About Mitsubishi Plastics Composites America/ALPOLIC®
ALPOLIC is one of the world's leading manufacturers of ACM and MCM panels. With a state-of-the-art production facility in Chesapeake, Virginia, ALPOLIC is part of Mitsubishi Plastics' family of world-renowned companies. For more information, or to view samples of the company's industry-leading selection, visit www.alpolic-northamerica.com.