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September 2019 \ BUILDING DIALOGUE \ 47 Creativity that drives results. ™ (303) 657-9700 BrinkmannConstructors.com center site, so residents could picture the future venue • The design. The public input process produced a design that has been considered “Colorado Regional” and resulted in a heavy aquatic focus and first-of-its-kind offerings, in- cluding Colorado’s first recreation center indoor wave pool, and North America’s first interactive waterslide with videos that allow visitors to customize their experience to various themes. Central Recreation Center’s natatorium includes wa- ter features that hold 184,223 gallons of water – a lazy river, lap pool, kiddie pool area and warm-water spa. In recreation design, we understand the importance of showing visitors all their options. Therefore, we design with the goal of cross-promoting activities, making them visible throughout the center. In Aurora, visitors can customize their recreation center experiences by choosing from a va- riety of different amenities including a gymnasium, six bas- ketball hoops, two fitness studios, a fitness grandstand, cook- ing and catering kitchen, escape room, and two community meeting rooms and party rooms. Flexible outdoor spaces, in- cluding an outdoor fitness balcony with visual connections to the mountain range, offer some unique opportunities for outdoor fitness experiences. The running track meanders throughout the entire facility, breaking from the tradition- al oval formation, effectively connecting different fitness neighborhoods. “Central Recreation Center is a building for all,” said Kend- all Koca, project manager for city of Aurora, Parks, Recreation and Open Space. “Programming for the facility ensures that all walks of life are served, from the aquatic’s zero-depth en- try for the tots to the elevated walking track for silver sneak- ers. I have no doubt this facility will serve the Aurora com- munity for many years to come.” The completion of Central Recreation Center highlights how the public can serve as a partner in the design process and how the design and construction industries can have a transformative effect, not just on the built environment, but on the community as a whole. We try to implement a similar public input process in all of our designs, including work at Syracuse University’s Barnes Center and Collier County Sports Complex in Naples, Florida. Populous was recently awarded Aurora’s next recre- ation center, located in southeast Aurora where we will take the process even further and implement art integration into the public input process. \\ gudmundur.jonsson@populous.com ELEMENTS Recreation Centers The recreation center includes a water slide.