Total Gym, Totally Home

by Diane C. DiVall

Ryan Armstrong is a senior at North Central College this year. When he graduates, he will have lived in every type of residential facility available both on and off the Naperville campus. That status may give him bragging rights among his friends, but the place he's calling home this year could put his name in the school's record books. Armstrong, a 22-year-old from Litchfield, Illinois, located about 215 miles southwest of Naperville, is one of the first students to live in North Central's newest and most unusual residential facility. The Residence Hall/Recreation Center is believed to be the first combination dormitory and gymnasium in the nation that embraces "green" building concepts throughout.

Glenn Behnke, the Res/Rec Center's project manager, proudly pointed out some of those eco-friendly concepts during a recent tour of the site. First, the college conserved land by combining two needs—living space and an athletic facility—into one building. Second, it conserved energy by tapping into 650 foot deep wells buried in a creek that runs behind the construction site. Sixty wells heat and cool the entire building, eliminating the need for natural gas. In addition, the use of insulated pre-cast concrete panels saves energy. (Glenn Behnke is also a North Central alumnus. He won the national Men's Track and Field Title for the school in 1974.)

Mike Hudson is assistant vice president of business operations at North Central. He says the Res/Rec Center's roof is a white membrane, which will help reduce the heat-island effect given off by black roofs. Each room will have its own heating and cooling unit with its own thermostat, further conserving energy. Finally, materials used inside the building, such as steel, tile, and carpeting were made of at least twenty-percent recycled materials, according to Hudson. The four-story, nearly 200,000 square foot building will be officially dedicated this month during Homecoming weekend, October 23–25. But students began moving in at the beginning of the fall term in mid-September. Those with the most credit hours had priority in choosing housing. Armstrong and his roommate, Robert Champion, a junior, jumped at the chance to live in a building with its own workout room. "I've been an athlete most of my life," Armstrong said. "I've always had to schedule my workouts. This will be more convenient." Champion, a member of both the football and track teams, is excited that he can walk from his room to the weight room without breaking a sweat and then start his real workout. Dorm rooms are available in singles, doubles and triples. There's a total capacity of 265 beds in 159 rooms. Student rooms are grouped into "neighborhoods," each with its own shared living area, study lounge, bathroom/shower area and laundry facility.

Residence hall rooms line the perimeter of the building. They are separated from the recreational facility at the center of the building by a hallway and soundproof walls. The building also has a multi-layered security system. Security cards must be swiped to enter the residence hall section of the building and to enter living areas from elevators on each floor. The Res/Rec Center is North Central's 13th residential facility.

Jim Miller, athletic director at North Central says the Res/Rec Center "has the opportunity to change the culture of our campus." Al Carius, longtime track and cross country coach at NCC, heartily concurs. "Right now, we have 22 sports using one facility (Merner Field House)," says Carius. "In the winter, the place was a zoo. We have 90 men on the track team and 50 women…and at the end of practice I would take a breath and thank God no one got hurt," Carius acknowledges.

But it wasn't always that way. Merner Field House was built in 1930 and was once considered a "gem" among field houses, second only in size to Chicago's Stadium. Miller says "people from all over the world" would rave about it. Carius came to North Central College in 1966. Back then, Carius remembers, "our little track was considered almost one of a kind in almost all the world." He says it was the first polyurethane track in the world. "All of the others were dirt or cinder," Carius says. "It served as kind of a test track." However, other schools started putting in their own similar tracks and Merner soon lost its luster. The college's enrollment has increased since then and so has its standing among Division III schools. North Central is now nationally ranked in men's cross country, track and field, swimming and diving and women's basketball. With its growth came the need for a larger athletic facility. Building a recreation center has been part of NCC's master land use plan since 1999.

Watching this Center grow from a concept to architectural drawings to an actual working structure has been a true labor of love for Carius. Ryan Armstrong says the Res/Rec Center puts North Central "back on the map." Carius is excited that the college will be able to get back to hosting indoor competitive races. "We will most likely be hosting an NCAA Division National Championship soon." And, the NCAA-regulation 200-meter indoor running track will be good to go when that opportunity comes, according to Carius. (That track will be named in honor of Coach Carius.) A history gallery of the cross country and track and field programs will be named for another longtime coach, Frank Gramarosso. The Res/Rec Center itself is unnamed at this time.

In addition to the running track, the first floor of the Res/Rec Center will feature four multi-purpose athletic courts, a training room and fitness center and locker facilities. Eventually, the college's athletic training program will be housed in the building. Plans are underway to put a walking track in on the fourth floor. For now, that remains unfinished. Recreational facilities will be open to the surrounding neighborhood and to those who can walk or ride a bike to the building. Area high schools may also eventually use the facility, according to Carius. And, a college spokesperson says the facility will also be available for use as a conference or exhibition center with a capacity of more than 5,000 people. The Res/Rec Center is estimated to cost about $25 million. It is located just east of Merner Field House.

Meanwhile, Ryan Armstrong and his fellow students and athletes take pride in sharing this groundbreaking experience, knowing they have helped get a running start on a new era for both student life and athletic programs at NCC.