George Mason University Breaks Ground on New Recreation Center

George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., recently announced the groundbreaking of the new Activities Community Wellness Building for its campus. The facility will measure in at 25,000 square feet and is scheduled to open in spring 2025. It will play home to student programs, events, and the school’s pep band, according to a news release.

Amenities will include a full-size NCAA basketball court, additional courts for basketball and volleyball, dedicated space for exercise and yoga classes, storage space, conference rooms, and office space. The university partnered with Hoar Construction for the project’s design and Powers Brown Architecture as architect, the news release reports.

“We are looking forward to beginning our first project with George Mason and kicking off construction on this exciting, innovative project,” said Hoar Project Executive Tom Amos. “This endeavor will provide a much-needed, dedicated space for George Mason’s intramural athletic clubs, pep band and student wellness, celebrating the university’s rebrand and new era of growth. We are proud to add this facility to our track record of higher education initiatives across the country and will remain dedicated to quality and safety for students, faculty and staff throughout the construction process.”

The construction process involves building a concrete tilt-up building with two tent structures on either side. The flexibility to remove the tents later and build a more permanent facility will shorten the overall construction timeline and reduce project costs, the news release reports.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • 144-Year-Old High-School Campus Debuts New Academic Facility

    San Diego High School (SDHS) in San Diego, Calif., recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new student services and classroom building; the project is part of a larger SDHS Whole Site Modernization project that began in 2022.

  • Can AI Help Build Stronger Communities in Student Housing?

    Student housing success is shifting from operational performance to student experience, with belonging now at the center. A recent 2025 report underscores a growing emphasis on student well-being, community, and engagement, signaling that expectations now extend beyond logistics to ensure students feel supported in their living environments. AI is enabling that shift by reducing administrative workload and giving teams more time to focus on meaningful student engagement.

  • William Penn Charter School

    Richard A. Balderston OPC’69 Lower School

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. The Richard A. Balderston OPC’69 Lower School has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Grand Prize award in the category of New Construction.

  • From Approval to Opening: Inside Travis Unified School District’s Fast Tracked Campus Expansion

    The Travis Unified School District (TUSD) in northern California includes several elementary and high schools serving over 5,400 students. In 2024, the TUSD Board approved the addition of sixth grade to the Golden West Middle School campus for the 2025–26 school year, setting in motion an accelerated effort to bring new facilities online in less than a year.