University of Illinois at Chicago
Student Recreation Center Master Plan and Referendum Support
Chicago, IL
The University of Illinois at Chicago engaged Brailsford & Dunlavey to provide a plan for improvements to the recreation facilities at the Chicago Circle Center (CCC), the Chicago Illini Union (CIU), and the Physical Education Building (PEB). B&D was selected to provide detailed market and financial analysis and program concept development to a proposed student fee referendum. B&D interviewed representatives from various University departments and user groups and reconciled their input with the data-gathering portion of the study. B&D also relied on student input through focus groups and a survey instrument, as well as existing campus conditions and the University's competitive environment, in the development of the market research and analyses.
In the spring of 2001, B&D produced a preliminary architectural program of 216,000 gross square feet that included a new recreation facility to replace the facilities in the CCC, as well as a renovation and expansion of the facilities at the CIU. The proposed student fee was $75 per semester and was put to a student referendum in April 2001. Due to a variety of extenuating factors, the referendum was rejected by a slim majority of students.
In response to the failed referendum, B&D's relationship with UIC was extended to review and update the original analysis and guide the project through another student referendum. Additional data was collected for detailed market and financial analysis, and in December 2001, B&D hosted a team of UIC administrative and student representatives on tour of six university recreation centers. On the tour, participants were able to establish a context for the attributes of successful recreation centers while also collecting images and video to be used in the referendum marketing campaign.
From December 2001 through February 2002, B&D provided strategic and experiential marketing guidance to the UIC student referendum marketing campaign. To further aid the referendum and to supplant the data collected in the original survey, B&D conducted a telephone survey to test students' support for the proposed recreation project and fees. On February 20, 2002, UIC students voted in support of the proposed facilities.
The West Campus Sports and Fitness Center renovation/addition was completed in 2005, receiving industry-wide honors including an Innovative Architecture & Design award from Recreation Management magazine, two Architectural Showcase awards from Athletic Business magazine, and a Facility of Merit award from Athletic Business magazine. 
