The new shared lobby serves as the connection point between high‑energy personal training and Auburn’s calming wellness services, unifying two identities within one inviting front door.
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cross higher education, facilities leaders are being called upon to rethink underutilized spaces to meet evolving student needs. At Auburn University, one such opportunity arose when Student Affairs merged Health Promotion & Wellness Services with Campus Recreation. The combined department, now known as Recreation and Wellness, required a new home for wellness services and support staff throughout. With personal training already located in the basement, Auburn selected an adjacent 6,000-squarefoot shell to house its new wellness suite, bringing physical and mental health services together in
one connected setting. The challenge was clear: to create a bright, stigma-free, welcoming environment in a basement space known more for echoes than daylight. With careful planning and collaboration, Auburn and McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture, in collaboration with Buch Construction, transformed this shell space into a holistic wellness hub that integrates wellness services like nutrition and AOD prevention and intervention services with personal training and support staff for the programs, personal training, and student support. The fit-out became an opportunity not only to solve a space challenge but
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