It's not often students can power a room just by working up a sweat, but that's one of the goals David Bowles, director of Recreational Sports, has in mind for renovations to Southwest Recreation Center.
The gym's $16 million renovations were presented at Tuesday night's UF Student Senate meeting by Bowles, one of the night's guest speakers.
Plans are in the works, Bowles said, to acquire cardio machines - mainly elliptical machines for now - that are retrofitted to convert the work done by the machines' users into energy to run the building's utility grid.
He said energy would no longer be emitted as heat, so there would be less need to air condition the room.
In addition, the new system would provide electricity.
Bowles said other plans for the gym include adding more cardio space and equipment and more strength-training equipment.
Additional elliptical machines, treadmills, bikes, steppers and an activity room that will allow about 25 more group classes a week will also be added as part of the expansion.
"We're talking about going from around 15 treadmills to 50 treadmills or more," he said.
Bowles said an architect for the expansion will be selected next week, and construction should begin by April.
He said he hopes to reopen the gym - new furnishings and all - by spring 2011.
Bowles said the space that is currently the cardio room will be converted into the athletic- and personal-training studio, which will provide athletic-training services, fitness assessment and massage therapy, an announcement well received by the audience.
The expansion will include a one-eighth-mile jogging track on the second floor.
Bowles said the department is considering creating something similar to an all air-conditioned track at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, which goes outside the building and comes back in to provide a nice environment for joggers.
Bowles also discussed plans for renovations at Lake Wauburg, which include adding a leadership and retreat center to its South Park.
The new facility will have two floors and enough room for up to 78 people to sleep inside.
It will also have a kitchen on each floor to accommodate caterers.
Bowles said an architect has evaluated the plans, and the building could achieve the top certification for sustainability.
"We want to make it more active, open it up and give better views to the lake. We want to be able to better utilize that space," he said.
