The first thing that鈥檚 striking when you enter the Dalplex fitness centre expansion, via the new entrance below South Street, is the light 鈥� natural, bright, beaming.
Those aren鈥檛 adjectives that even the most generous wordsmith would have traditionally attributed to Dalplex. Though the original Dalplex space has served the university and local communities well across nearly four decades, much of it reflects the architecture of its time: stony, brutalist, a little cold (except, of course, during the summer months, when everything has tended to feel hot in there).
And that鈥檚 the thing about Dalplex: for its time, it was a transformative facility, a revolution in fitness and recreation on campus. (It even won a merit award as one of the most outstanding new athletics buildings in North America.) But times have changed, and so has the Dal community.
鈥淲hen Dalplex originally opened in 1979, Dal鈥檚 student enrolment was less than half of what it is now,鈥� says Tim Maloney, executive director of athletics and recreation at AV俱乐部. 鈥淛ust from a sheer numbers perspective, we haven鈥檛 had the capacity to properly serve our student population 鈥� or our community members, for that matter 鈥� in quite some time.鈥�
That鈥檚 about to change with the official opening of the new Dalplex fitness centre. It鈥檚 a $23.3-million addition to Dal鈥檚 recreation and fitness facilities that features one of the largest cardio and strength-training rooms in Halifax, beautiful new multipurpose fitness rooms, new lockers and change room facilities, and creates a bright, welcoming entrance to Dalplex as a whole. Oh鈥� and did we mention everything is climate controlled?
Read also: Fit and ready: New $23-million Dalplex fitness centre opens
But the Dalplex fitness centre represents much more than just its listing of features. It鈥檚 about empowering students to make physical health and overall wellness a key part of their university experience 鈥� without having to go off-campus to do so. It鈥檚 a facility built by listening to what students, faculty/staff and community members have been asking for, and will allow for a whole new slate of accessible programming that matches their interests and needs better than ever before. And it鈥檚 about to revolutionize fitness and recreation at AV俱乐部 all over again.
State-of-the-art cardio on campus
After first taking in the natural lighting, visitors to the fitness centre will walk past three new change rooms: one for men, one for women, and one for everyone. Each of these has increased privacy compared to the old Dalplex locker rooms, as well as increased accessibility. Additionally, the entire length of the building has bench seating, complete with places for visitors to charge their devices while waiting for others or just sitting to take a breather after a workout.
At the end of the hallway, you can turn right and connect directly to the rest of Dalplex and its various facilities (the fieldhouse courts, pool, racquet sport courts, climbing wall and more). Turn left, though, and up the stairs or elevator, and you鈥檒l find the main attractions of the new Dalplex fitness centre.
First: the fitness hall. Full of natural light, the 13,000-sq-ft space is set up overlooking South Street on one side (with great views of the Hicks Building and Wickwire Field) and Halifax鈥檚 Northwest Arm on the other. Nearly all of the equipment is brand new, and there鈥檚 about three times as much of it 鈥斕� 74 pieces of brand new cardio equipment, plus more than 150 new pieces of strength-training equipment.
鈥淲e鈥檙e way better equipped to meet traffic at peak times,鈥� says Maloney. 鈥淭hat means less waiting, more space, more freedom, more comfort as you work out.鈥�
The equipment is also leased, not purchased, which means users can expect to see machines replaced regularly (at least once every three years) and change based on user demand. And the new location means machines and equipment will be available whenever Dalplex is open, no longer affected by fieldhouse schedules for special events or student exams.
鈥淲hen the strength-training equipment was at the fieldhouse, exams meant there was nearly a whole month, twice a year, at which we didn鈥檛 have those facilities available 鈥� at a time when staying active is so important for students,鈥� says Kathie Wheadon, director of facilities and business services. 鈥淣ow, during exams, the strength training continues uninterrupted; fitness classes, too.鈥�
A welcoming way to work out
Those fitness classes will have new homes at the Dalplex fitness centre: four multipurpose fitness rooms, two of which have a capacity of about 60 people per class, the others about 20-25. The technology equipped spaces will host yoga classes, group workouts, fitness seminars, group presentations and lots more. Students and community members can expect not just new fitness programs this fall, but more diversified offerings and much greater program flexibility.
Back on the lower floor, you鈥檒l also the high performance centre 鈥� a place for varsity athletes or other groups (sport clubs, fitness clubs, etc.) to get a more focused, intense workout without displacing other Dalplex members in the fitness hall.
鈥淏eing able to have our entire team training, all at the same time, makes it more enjoyable and helps us push each other to be our best,鈥� says Courtney Baker, who鈥檒l start her fourth year as a Kinesiology student and as a member of the AUS-champion Tigers women鈥檚 volleyball team this fall. She got her first look at the facility at Friday鈥檚 opening. Her reaction: 鈥淚鈥檓 so impressed. It turned out really well.鈥�
And everything in the facility is climate controlled, making it a marked improvement from many of the spaces that housed similar equipment in the traditional Dalplex facility.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a much more comfortable, welcoming space to work out in, all around,鈥� says Wheadon.
That word 鈥� 鈥渨elcoming鈥� 鈥� says it all. The Dalplex fitness centre genuinely feels like an invitation. With the space to deliver the sort of first-rate health-and-wellness experience students expect, while continuing to be an important service to Dal鈥檚 Halifax community, Dalplex is poised to introduce a lot more people to the power of healthy living in the coming months and years thanks to the new facility.
Not that the regulars aren鈥檛 excited, too 鈥� Carolyn Watters, Dal鈥檚 provost, for example, who鈥檚 a devoted Dalplex member.
鈥淚 go every morning to Dalplex, and I know its 鈥榚ccentricities鈥� and its 鈥榗harm,鈥欌�� she says. 鈥淪o I鈥檓 supercharged to get into the new facilities, especially the great new fitness hall and studio spaces for my Wednesday morning early workout class.鈥�
Addressing student needs
Dr. Watters adds that she鈥檒l still be a regular user of the pool. Indeed, not only will Dalplex鈥檚 pre-existing facilities stay in operation with the new fitness centre now open, they鈥檒l be improved too. , and the fitness centre鈥檚 new facilities means for the first time in years, its entire courtspace will now be available for activities.
鈥淚t will really increase our capacity to serve our students through spectator court-based sports, intramural and clubs,鈥� says Maloney.
These changes are part of a broader revitalization of campus fitness and recreation facilities that includes Sexton Campus. Sexton Gym is about to undergo a renovation of its own, similarly focused on increasing access to cardio, strength and conditioning equipment as well as providing more multipurpose fitness space. Those renovations are expected to get underway this summer with a targeted completion by the end of 2018. 听
Why the focus on fitness and recreation facilities at this particular point in time? Well, in part, it鈥檚 been a long time coming 鈥� for all the new construction AV俱乐部 has seen over the past 20 years, none of it has included athletics and recreation facilities (the addition of new turf to Wickwire Field excepted). As time went by, students voiced dissatisfaction with Dal鈥檚 fitness and recreation facilities in several ways, including in the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) 鈥� from 2002-2011, their satisfaction with Dal鈥檚 fitness offerings decreased by 20 per cent, while students at Dal鈥檚 peer universities saw their satisfaction ratings increase by 16.5 per cent during the same time period.
鈥淲hen you think about student recruitment, strategic enrolment 鈥� there鈥檚 a lot that happens outside the classroom that impacts those decisions,鈥� says Maloney. 鈥淎nd that includes how they can integrate a healthy lifestyle into their student experience more broadly.鈥�
It wasn鈥檛 just that Dal鈥檚 facilities were aging 鈥� it鈥檚 that they were designed for an entirely different fitness universe, one that didn鈥檛 really include the sort of modern workout or fitness classes students seek out in 2018.
鈥淲hen Dalplex opened, there was no cardio equipment there,鈥� says Wheadon, offering just one example. 鈥淭he only treadmills you found on campus were in research labs. The demand for an indoor workout has really changed.鈥�
That鈥檚 why a new fitness facility has been part of Dal鈥檚 Campus Master Plan since 2010, and why student leaders, in 2011, supported a new fee of $180 for full-time Halifax students ($90 in each of the fall and winter terms) to fund the new facility and other fitness and recreation enhancements on campus. The fee, which will be implemented starting this fall, will also enable full-time students to use Dalplex year-round without an extra summer membership fee.
An exciting time for health and wellness
Students have also had a crucial voice in developing the new facility, alongside community members, faculty/staff and others. Throughout the lengthy, multi-phased consultation process, there were common themes that emerged: better weight and cardio rooms, light-filled studios, multipurpose fitness space. Those formed the core of the designs for the $23.3-million fitness centre, which is targeted LEED Gold in terms of its sustainability features. Community input also shaped the design of the building, in particular the glass that allows for a street view of activity inside the building.
Aaron Prosper, the current DSU president, has a unique relationship to Dalplex: he鈥檚 not only a user of the facility, as a student, but also a staff member. (He鈥檚 worked as a lifeguard at the Dalplex pool since starting his studies at the university).
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He sees the benefits of the new space for students 鈥� not just in physical health, but in 鈥渢he connections between physical activity, mental health and school success鈥� the promotion of healthy, active lifestyles.鈥� But he also recognizes the important role Dalplex plays in the community.
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鈥淭his is a great opportunity to form even closer bonds with the community around Dal,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 know a lot of people are drawn to the area because of the Dalplex, because of what it offers and the different programming. Now, you have this new, fresh space that is a lot more inclusive. It will be accessible to many more people.鈥�
The doors to that more inclusive, accessible building are now open, but for those students set to return to campus this fall 鈥� not to mention those arriving on campus for the first time 鈥擲eptember will present them with an exciting new space to make their own.
鈥淚鈥檓 really excited for those students to come back and see what Dalplex is like 鈥� from the new fitness centre to the fieldhouse renovation,鈥� says Maloney. 鈥淭here鈥檚 going to be a massive 鈥榳ow鈥� factor, and how we deliver programming is going to be better and keep getting better as the weeks and months go by.鈥�
More on the new fitness centre
- News story: "Fit and ready: New $23-million Dalplex fitness centre opens
- Learn more about Dalplex: