Just in time for the spring semester, the recreation center at Towson University, Towson, Maryland, has expanded to become one of the most comprehensive facilities of its kind in the state.
Towson unveiled its 94,000-square-foot expansion of Burdick Hall during a Jan. 31 grand-opening ceremony. In a university-issued media release, Director of Campus Recreation Grady Sheffield said he was relieved to see three years of construction finally culminate.
“It is an overwhelming feeling of accomplishment and pride,” he said. “The impact the facility will have on the entire community is indescribable. It is something that will have an immediate effect on those who use the facility and those that have yet to set foot on campus."
The finished building is four times its original size, according to the release. The added square footage allows for a number of new amenities:
- A 22,000-square-foot open space for cardio and functional training.
- The Jungle, an "American Ninja Warrior"-inspired obstacle course.
- A cycling studio with speakers, lights and a video display.
- Two courts with rubber flooring that support volleyball, badminton and Futsol.
- A sprint hill and stairs for interval training.
- A boxing studio with various heavy and speed bags.
- New cardio- and strength-training equipment.
- Three dedicated group fitness classrooms.
Several staple Burdick Hall amenities carried over into the new space, including three open gyms, a pool and a 33-foot high climbing wall.
The facility is open to students, staff, faculty and alumni of Towson University with campus access cards. It will also employ 300 people every academic semester.