Sports & Recreation

Project Information
Owner: Elkhart Health Fitness and Aquatics Inc.
Location: Elkhart, Indiana
Size: 171,000 sq. ft.
Cost: $ 59,000,000
Completion: July 2019

Overview
Cripe Design, in association with TMP Architects, was commissioned to design a new health, fitness and aquatics center in downtown Elkhart, Indiana. The new facility, located at the fork of two rivers along an adjacent river walk and park, includes a 66 meter by 25 meter competition pool with a 1200 seat spectator concourse, fitness and therapy pools, spacious Gymnasium, 4 exercise rooms, large fitness equipment space, a ninth mile indoor track, multipurpose meeting rooms, Library/Lounge space, large event lobby, and Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine offices. A unique design feature includes portions of the elevated indoor track suspended over the two main building entrances. The building design includes a generous amount of glass both inside and out to enjoy the surrounding views and advertise its facilities, functions and amenities. The new facility serves the Community as a private Fitness Club, Community Center, and recreation, fitness and competition Natatorium. The Natatorium is also home to the local High School swim team, area swim Clubs and nearby private College. Regional swim meets are also frequent events for the competition facility.

In 1997 Daniel Cripe teamed, with a local builder, and entered a design competition to expand and improve a small Boys & Girls Club on a very hilly site. our Team successfully won that competition and expanded the existing 8,828 sf club to 30,383 sf. Again in 2014 our Team added two additions and remodeled most of the remainder of the Club to a total facility with over 60,000 sf to become one of the largest Boys & Girls Club in the nation. The latest Improvements include a large dining space to allow children living in poverty to experience family-like dining, an education center with a STEAM room, homework area, computer room, expanded and created separate Teen and Pre-Teen spaces. A secure check-in/check-out area was added to better manage the more than 300 children that attend the Club daily.

The new NIBCO Water & Ice Park opened with much fanfare for the citizens of Elkhart, Indiana. The 740 square feet mechanical building and Zamboni storage garage, 860 square feet concessions building, and 530 square feet restrooms building serve the ice rink, ice path and summer water features that are located in downtown Elkhart. The refrigerated ice rink and path is the first of its kind in the United States and was designed by a Minneapolis, MN, engineering firm, Bonestroo. The popular destination was featured in the "Athletic Business" magazine's 2008 Architectural Showcase.

This new 4,400 seat stadium design incorporates the space underneath the new Bleachers to form a covered public commons space to access concessions, restrooms and storage. A new building housing the concessions and restrooms was located adjacent to the bleacher structure and serves the covered circulation space. The project also included a standalone concessions and restroom building that serves not only the visitor's side of the Stadium, but also the adjacent soccer field complex. A new pair of ticket booths and entrance gate structure's flank the football field and define the doorways to the Stadium.

A new 20,000 square feet Boys & Girls Club for Middlebury, Indiana was completed featuring a new multi-purpose gymnasium, teen center, education center, computer lab, arts & crafts room, snack area, game room and offices. The building was designed to embrace the gently sloping site while taking advantage of the surrounding views the hillside offers. The Club is located on the Middlebury Community Schools campus providing easy access for after school activities. The Indiana Concrete Masonry Association has awarded the building's creative design.

The Renovation of the Pierre Moran Pool for the City of Elkhart, was a collaboration with Bonestroo, Minneapolis, MN, a pool design & engineering firm. The project included the renovation of the existing swimming pool, pool mechanical systems, Bathhouse, and construction of a new zero depth entry pool and new pool mechanical building. Bathhouse renovations included general building updates, men's and women's toilet/shower rooms to conform to ADA accessibility standards, new Family changing areas and Bathhouse entrance improvements.

A design study explored the complete renovation and expansion of an existing forty year old YMCA in downtown Elkhart. The existing pristine wooded and grassy site borders the Elkhart River on two sides and is linked with running/walking paths to the downtown riverwalk and three City parks. The design proposed a 120,000 square feet facility including a recreation pool with 2 water tube slides, 6 lane lap pool, rehabilitation pool, large multi-use gymnasium, indoor track, large gymnastics area, aerobic rooms, racquetball courts, cardiovascular equipment area, teen center, senior center, learning center, child watch, flexible community meeting space, large public lobby with climbing wall, offices and all new locker rooms for men, women, boys, girls and special needs/family. The new exterior design proposed sun control devices to allow large glass facades for revealing interior activities and the scenic exterior river views. The design also included a rooftop volleyball, badminton and aerobic screened outside area.