Photo courtesy Ecore
The Louisville Recreation and Senior Center’s $28-million expansion and renovation required a variety of surfaces with enhanced acoustic, slip-resistant, and low-maintenance properties. Three different flooring products were utilized to satisfy all surface requirements across a variety of spaces and activities.
Built in 1990 in Louisville, Colorado, the facility serves as a public hub for seniors, preschoolers, and fitness enthusiasts. The center supports physical, mental, and social wellness for the city’s residents, including providing services for members ranging from three months old to over 100 years old.
“Our motto is ‘there is something for everyone,’” said Kathy Martin, superintendent of recreation and senior care services. “We are one of the busiest rec centers in Colorado and our mission is to provide opportunities for social engagement that supports both physical and mental well-being.”
As the community grew, so did the need for more space and equipment. Following an 18-month feasibility study in 2016, a major construction project took place and was completed in 2019.
Renovations included the addition of a second floor with a weight room and expanded cardio areas, a second lap pool, leisure pool, splash pad, daycare facility, and indoor turf field and playground.
Challenge
The Rec Center’s renovations also called for a first-floor daycare center, but design plans situated the cardio area and weight room directly above the daycare. Due to this layout, the design firm required flooring with high sound-mitigation properties to make these fitness areas less intrusive to the toddlers and staff below.
Additionally, the expanded pool space needed extremely slip-resistant flooring for lifeguards, guests, and members. In addition to meeting a variety of performance requirements, the flooring also needed to support wayfinding and the aesthetic vision of the design team.
“We had to be sure we satisfied the needs of the community while also adhering to performance and safety requirements,” said Miranda Dooley, interior designer III, Perkins&Will.
Solution
The expansion required a variety of surfaces with enhanced acoustic, slip-resistant, and low-maintenance properties.
In the weight room, tiles providing extreme durability and superior sound-mitigation was selected. The surface of the tile diminishes shock by absorbing the impact from weights. The large installation of the tile required collaboration between the designers and the manufacturing company.
Vulcanized composition rubber surface was installed in the cardio area. This multilayer surface features a technology balancing the distribution of force reduction and energy restitution, resulting in less impact on knees and joints of runners and walkers. Composition rubber tiles were used in areas such a hallways and circuit training zones that required a durable, affordable surface. Finally, a vinyl safety surface flooring was installed in all pool areas. This surface is engineered with slip-resistant particles and a raised embossment for added slip resistance.
Results
The newly renovated 9569-m2 (103,000-sf) Louisville Rec Center serves as a centerpiece of the Louisville community, offering a wide range of amenities and activities. The lifeguard staff appreciates the high slip-resistant properties of the surface around the pool, changing rooms, and pool party area.
“Members are loving the color scheme and we feel the floor will stand the test of time,” said Martin. “They seem really happy with the new look.”
