the drexel

britnei godusky | lighting + electrical

image courtesy of drexel university

center

university recreation

philadelphia, pa

this page was last updated on 04.23.11 by britnei godusky and is hosted by the ae department ©2010

user note:  while great efforts have been taken to provide accurate and complete information on the pages of cpep, please be aware that the information contained herewith is considered a work-in-progress for this thesis project.  modifications and changes related to the original building designs and construction methodologies for this senior thesis project are solely the
interpretation of britnei godusky.  changes  and discrepancies in no way imply that the original designed contained errors or was flawed. differing assumptions, code references, requirements, and methodologies have been incorporated into this thesis project; therefore, investigation results may vary from the original design.

building
statistics I

general building information

primary project team

architecture

Design and Functional Components:

Centrally located in the heart of Drexel’s Campus, the Drexel University Athletic Center is a state of the art facility with ID swipe card access to athletic areas including a rock climbing wall, group exercise center, and gymnasium with elevated track.  The western half of their southern Market Street façade is dedicated to a restaurant and sports bar, contributing an exciting new venue to University City. 

Figure 1– Interior lobby and circulation space

Figure 2– Fitness space

Exposed concrete interiors and almost floor to ceiling glazing on the southern
façade create an exposed, bright, spacious impression. 

building enclosure

Façade materials:

architectural concrete exterior wall (333)
slate shingle wall system (73A)
metal plate wall panel system (74A)
solid phenolic exterior wall system (742A)aluminum window system including metal flashings (84A)

Façade:

The building façade is the highlight and
focus of the Drexel Recreation Center
design.  Spanning a full city block on
Market Street, the busiest East/West throughway of University City, the strong lines and sharp angles of the glazing/aluminum panel façade combine for a bold, modern play on transparency and concealment.

Figure 4– photograph of building façade

roofing

Roofing materials include Zinc-coated steel, aluminum sheet, extruded aluminum,
semi-rigid glass fiberboards, asphaltic roofing cement, and bituminous mastic isolation coating on a concrete flat plate slab.

sustainability features

The Drexel Recreation Center incorporates roof-top photocells for lighting control systems and utilizes on/off switching daylight harvesting in the lobby and main
hallway, and compact fluorescent multi-lamp switching in the gymnasium. 

Carbon-free power produced by the elliptical machines is harnessed to power an
exterior “Drexel Dragons” sign. 

Rainwater is collected and stored in a 36,000 gallon underground cistern which is then UV treated, filtered, and used for toilet flushing.