A lot of thought went into Southport's new state-of-the-art three million dollar Central Plains RecPlex facility's design, incorporating the history of the facility since the mid-1950's when the military base was located there. Calnitsky Associates Architect Carlos Schor says he collaborated with staff at Southport for the concepts.

"Somehow try to keep the memories about the swimming pool. We covered most of it, or three-quarters of it, with all of the fitness area. And the deeper part of the pool we took advantage of the distance to the roof, and incorporated a climbing wall here."

(L-R) Amanda Morrell & Carlos SchorHe says they also connected with the re-branding company.

"Working together with them, once the bright colours were adopted, Amanda incorporated the colours of the new RecPlex logo into the facility."

He says the old facility was in the basement without windows and adequate ventilation. With the new design utilizing the upper level, the sunlight allowed through the windows gives the entire facility a different atmosphere and feeling.

Interior designer Amanda Morrell adds, "I did the space planning and the interior space selections for the facility. We took into consideration the weights of the equipment. We don't want the floor shaking because it's hollow underneath."

She adds the colouring is vibrant and designed for longevity and stepped outside of the box of being safe or mundane. She explains people need to feel energized when they're there. Morrell says they took into consideration modern technology with cell phone lockers where you choose your own P.I.N. and leave your keys and cell phones in a safe location. WIFI is also available throughout the entire site. Morrell adds it was a pleasure working with Southport on the project.