The Texas State University System has selected leading global design firm Stantec to provide architecture, landscape architecture, and interior design services for the renovation and expansion of Sam Houston State University’s (SHSU) recreation center in Huntsville, Texas. The project includes more than 9,000 square feet of new construction and more than 19,000 square feet of renovation, expanding the facility’s health, well-being, and recreational programs for students. Hastings+Chivetta will work with Stantec as a sports planning partner.

Updates to the existing facility include a student lounge, functional training, and cardio training, while the racquetball courts will be repurposed into multipurpose studios and a spinning studio. The project also includes design of a new addition that will house a multipurpose basketball court, storage space, and a tent-drying room. Remaining open to students during construction, the new facility is expected to be completed by August 2024.

“Recreational sports give students an outlet from their day-to-day class routines and help them maintain their physical and mental health,” said Scott Klaus, principal at Stantec. “We’re honored for the opportunity to work with the university to create a facility that is reflective of the campus and supports its students throughout their college experience.”

Stantec has a long history of designing sports and recreational facilities for schools and is rapidly expanding its portfolio to include recreation and athletics for colleges and universities, including the 47,000 square-foot Recreation and Wellness Center for Florida Gulf Coast University—a two-story facility featuring a double gymnasium, group fitness room, strength and fitness room, and a cardio deck. The SHSU project will build on the firm’s athletics work in Texas, which includes the award-winning Del Valle High School Athletics Facility and the Planet Ford Stadium.