Industrial Design

“The music
is louder,
but even it
can’t cover
the sounds
of exertion.”
A
day at the Recreation, Athletics & Wellness
Centre starts at 6 a.m. The early arrivals head
for the elevated, three-lane running track or
for the workout equipment on the second floor.
On every level, massive windows facing southeast bring the
day’s first light into the airy facility, illuminating the eight-lane,
25-metre pool, the high-tech workout equipment and the
warm wood of the main gym’s full-size basketball court.
As more students, staff, faculty and community members
arrive, the RAWC comes to life. In the mirrored Dance
Studio, pounding hip-hop accompanies a Tabata class, a
high-intensity interval training program developed in Japan.
Down the hall in the High Performance Centre,
members of the Varsity football team are lifting weights.
The music is louder, but even it can’t cover the sounds of
exertion, the clang of weights dropping and the shouts of
the athletes as they cheer on their teammates’ efforts.
Overlooking the busy basketball court, the Fitness
Centre fills for the Cycle-Yoga Fusion class, a lunchtime
favourite. A combination of intense spinning followed by
calming yoga, it takes place in a room overlooking the
main gym, with glass walls that can be shaded to provide
private, women’s-only fitness space.
The action continues with volleyball tournaments,
Aqua-Fit Bootcamp and archery. At 9 p.m., swimmers
make their last waves before the pool closes for the night.
The final visitors ride stationary bikes, swing kettlebells
and circle the track until the RAWC doors finally close at
11 p.m. After that, the building’s only visitors are security
guards and cleaning staff until seven hours later, when the
doors open and another day at the RAWC begins. M
PHOTO : TK
20 M MAGAZINE
FALL 2016
21