GREAT THINGS ARE HAPPENING: RAMSEY HIGH SCHOOL FITNESS & WELLNESS CENTER

24 MARCH 2022

Another day, another exciting project by Solutions Architecture. We're excited as we enter the final phases of this High School Fitness & Wellness Center architectural project in Ramsey, New Jersey. One of the major goals of the Ramsey School District’s 2018 Referendum was to provide facility upgrades that would “Enhance the Student Experience”. When looking to construct an addition on a 160,000 square foot facility where the original structure was built in 1936 and has additions constructed in 1967 and 1976, the goal is to create efficiency in the design and yet maintain consistency in the aesthetics. This major facility upgrade, is an addition on the southwest corner of the 1967 wing that would house the high school’s new Wellness Center. The location of this construction is significant because the southwest corner also serves as the main entrance to the Varsity Field and Grandstands and serves as a staging and gathering point for the fans. The proposal included moving the “old weight room” from the basement and creating a fitness center for strength training, cardio and circuit training along with wellness classrooms for health, yoga and pilates.

The challenge was being able to fit the required program spaces on the narrowed site without impacting the visitors entrance and field access. The SOLUTION was to straddle the new addition over an existing lecture hall space that is also being converted into a new Wood-shop and create a cantilevered structure that avoids any impact to those coveted areas. The 3,355 square foot Fitness & Wellness Center provides incredible natural light and boasts captivating views, through its floor to ceiling fenestration. The design elements pay homage to the classical style of the original. The student experience is most definitely enhanced as new facility impacts and facilitates learning with pioneering technology and design.

Stay tuned to see the results, once this project is completed by our Team!