On Sunday, April 3, 2016 the Bronco Recreation and Intramural Complex (BRIC) received one of the ten national awards for Outstanding Sports Facilities and first place for the Creative Excellence Award at the 2016 NIRSA Annual Conference & Recreational Sports Expo in Kissimmee, Florida.
According to the NIRSA: Leaders in Collegiate Recreation award criteria, “the Outstanding Sports Facilities Award recognizes the innovative designs of new, renovated, or expanded collegiate recreational facilities of NIRSA Member Institutions.” Eligibility included the following:
- Applicants must be a current NIRSA institutional member.
- Project must be a new construction or an expansion/renovation.
- Project must have been opened between December 16, 2013 and October 31, 2015.
- Project should be valued at or above $2 million (excluding design and land fees) or total 20,000 or more square feet for highest consideration.
- At least 50% of the facility’s net square footage must be intended for recreational sports.
- Outdoor projects must have been open between November 2, 2012 and October 31, 2015.
NIRSA, formerly just an abbreviation for “National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association,” was founded in 1950 and serves as an advocate for the advancement of recreation, sport and wellness in higher education.
The Creative Excellence Awards recognize the NIRSA Members’ outstanding accomplishments in marketing. Associated Students Inc. (ASI) Marketing, Design and Public Relations (MDPR) department was awarded first place in the Student Publication category for the BRIC Virtual Tour entry. Created by Michael Hari, a former student multimedia developer in MDPR, this video has served as a digital marketing tool to inform students about the first ever recreational facility at Cal Poly Pomona (CPP).
In February 2016, ASI announced that the BRIC was officially recognized by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) as the first LEED Gold facility representing a University-Auxiliary partnership on the CPP campus.
There are four levels of LEED certification: Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum. In order to receive LEED certification, a building project must demonstrate completion of prerequisites, and earn points in nine areas that address key aspects of green buildings: integrative process; location and transportation; sustainable site; water efficiency; energy and atmosphere; materials and resources; indoor environmental quality; innovation and regional priority.
The BRIC received gold certification for being green; now it’s truly green AND gold.
ASI Executive Director Cora Culla states, “The BRIC exemplifies the outcome of effective collaboration, common focus on student success and commitment to sustainability. We share the credit for this proud accomplishment with CSU and University colleagues, the ASI Team, construction team, consultants, agency representatives and most of all, our Cal Poly Pomona students.”
For more information about ASI Campus Recreation or the BRIC, click here, and follow/like them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to receive daily updates.
To learn more about NIRSA, please visit nirsa.net.
