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MILLIGAN COLLEGE, Tenn. (Jan. 12, 2012) — The Gilliam Wellness Center at Milligan College earned the award of excellence in the 2011 Design Awards Program sponsored by General Shale Brick and the Northeast Tennessee chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA).
The annual Design Awards Program honors built works of distinction designed by AIA Northeast Tennessee members. In addition, the program brings public attention to outstanding examples of architecture.
The state-of-the-art Gilliam Wellness Center, which opened in spring 2010, was designed by Reedy and Sykes Architecture and was built byBurleson Construction.
“We are pleased that the Gilliam Wellness Center was chosen as an outstanding example of architecture in our region,” said Milligan President Dr. Bill Greer. “It was intentionally designed to not only be a beautiful addition to our campus, but also to be an environmentally-friendly building that meets the wellness needs of our campus community.”
The 7,100-square-foot wellness center became the first building in the region to earn the prestigious LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification. To be LEED certified, the Gilliam Wellness Center has a recycling area, maximizes the use of natural lighting, incorporates energy-efficient lighting, windows and plumbing fixtures, as well as other items, including a water garden for capturing runoff for campus irrigation.
The facility is equipped with cardiovascular fitness equipment, both free weights and a weight machine circuit, an aerobics classroom, and a spinning room equipped with 10 spinning bikes. The center also features seven wall mounted flat-screen televisions, including three that are part of a Nintendo Wii activity area. Additionally, the center provides space for Milligan’s campus nurse, director of intramurals, and the director of wellness and leisure activities.
In addition to the design award from General Shale and AIA Northeast Tennessee, the Gilliam Wellness Center was named “Construction Project of the Year” at a 2011 awards ceremony hosted by the Association of General Contractors in the Tri-Cities.
The Gilliam Wellness Center was funded by Richard and Leslie Gilliam of Charlottesville, Va., in memory of Richard’s father, Marvin, a 1938 graduate of Milligan.
To learn more about Milligan, visit www.milligan.edu.