UNC Charlotte’s University Recreation Center (UREC) provides students with a healthy outlet to relieve the anxieties and stress of student life. The 145,000 SF, $66 million health and wellness facility merges classroom space with yoga/Pilates studios, spin studios, basketball and volleyball courts, weight rooms, indoor and outdoor pools, and administrative offices.

McKim & Creed provided engineering services for the mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection systems at UNCC’s UREC. The scope included reviewing plans and options for outdoor equipment, renovating the existing regional utility plant RUP-3 and designing new MEP/FP systems for the building—including equipment for a new indoor swimming pool. Also designed for Green Globe sustainability certification, our team played a significant role by employing highly energy-efficient building systems design strategies.

LEDs provide low-energy, adjustable, multizone lighting. Glass walls allow natural light to stream in and reduce the need for artificial lighting levels—resulting in lower power consumption while maintaining illumination quality. To reduce the use of natural gas, pool water is heated using waste energy from the rejected heat generated by the pool dehumidification units. Intelligent building environmental controls maintain cooling and heating comfort while optimizing energy efficiency. Water-saving plumbing fixtures reduce water usage, and energy-efficient water heating units meet the demand for this large building. 

Our team also prepared load projections for the building and an energy model for estimating life cycle analysis for energy efficient systems to meet requirements of SB 668. RUP-3 was modified to increase plant capacity by replacing existing chillers and boilers with larger chillers and boilers using the existing plant space. RUP-3 supports the UREC building along with the Student Union.

As this was a greenfield, from-scratch project, McKim & Creed also provided full design services for the fire suppression and fire alarm systems. Part of the design package for the fire suppression system included coordination between our design team and the civil design team for a new fire service line and fire pump to service the building. For the fire alarm design package, our design included provisions for showing the locations of fire alarm devices throughout the building, fire alarm riser documentation, and a sequence of operation matrix.

The UREC project was awarded two Green Globes in recognition of its energy efficiency.

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