IMEG provided mechanical, electrical, and technology engineering design and services for the new Nicholas Recreation Center, a $96.5 million, 250,000-sf facility at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. The center provides both recreational and competitive athletic spaces for students and the community.

The project is a main component of the university’s Rec Sports Master Plan, which will significantly upgrade the campus’s heavily used, overcrowded, and outdated recreational sports facilities.

The new facility replaced and was built on the site of the former Southeast Recreational Facility (SERF), located in a key connection point of campus near residence halls , the Kohl Center, and LaBahn Arena. “The Nick” serves the student population’s needs for fitness and wellness, sports clubs, intramural competition, and recreational sports. It also includes an Olympic-size swimming pool, used for both recreational exercise and as a practice and competition venue for the university’s swimming teams.

Flexible space is provided for multi-functional class fitness areas (such as hot yoga), and the facility more than triples the previous center’s cardio and strength training space, with the gymnasium strategically stacked over the pool to maximize space in the tight urban setting.