Peter Buck Center for Health and Fitness Opens September 22
BRUNSWICK, Maine - The Peter Buck Center for Health and Fitness
opened Tuesday, September 22, 2009, ushering in a new era of
wellness at Bowdoin.
The center's fitness areas — cardiovascular fitness and
weight machines on the ground floor, free weights and rowing
machines on the lower level — opened at 6:30 a.m. The
College's Department of Health Services, relocated to the Buck
Center's third floor from Dudley Coe, is scheduled to begin
operations in the new building Friday, Sept. 25.
The Buck Center, made possible through the generosity of Dr. Peter
Buck '52, is an addition to the Morrell Gym complex housing
exercise rooms, the College's health center, athletic department
offices and flexible space that can seat up to 40 people for
academic classes and meetings.
"The new Peter Buck Center for Health and Fitness is a wonderful
addition to the Bowdoin campus and a place where every member of
our community can pursue and realize their health and wellness
goals," said Dean of Student Affairs Tim Foster.
About Peter
Buck
Peter Buck, of the Bowdoin Class of 1952, is a nuclear physicist
and philanthropist who co-founded the Subway franchise restaurant
chain.
Born in Portland, Maine, Buck earned master's and doctoral degrees
in physics at Columbia University. From 1957 to 1978 he held
positions as a nuclear physicist with several companies.
In 1965 he made entrepreneurial history when he loaned a
17-year-old family friend $1,000 to open the first Subway
Sandwiches and Salads Shop. This endeavor grew to two stores the
next year, 16 shops by 1973, and individual franchise sales by the
mid-1970s. As of September 2009, there were 31,697 Subway
restaurants in 91 countries.
Buck, who now lives in Danbury, Conn., was awarded an honorary
doctor of human letters degree by the College in 2008. Read about
Buck's philanthropy.
Fitness
The Buck Center, which takes the place of the Watson Fitness
Center, will allow Bowdoin to offer existing fitness and wellness
programs in one location. Watson will be converted to a
multipurpose student lounge and game space.
The Buck Center includes a free-weight fitness facility with
rowing machines on the lower level, a cardiovascular fitness center
with weight machines on the ground floor and a new interior
climbing wall.
Fitness programs will continue to include spinning, multiple
levels of Pilates and aerobics, and classes focused on circuit
training and overall physical fitness.
Flexible space on the third floor has been designed to accommodate
these programs and others, such as yoga, tai chi/qigong and
dance.
Health
Center
The third floor of the Peter Buck Center for Health and Fitness
will be the new home of healthcare services currently housed at
Dudley Coe Health Center.
A fully equipped primary care medical office staffed by
board-certified physician's assistants, nurse practitioners and
contracted physicians, the Health Center will continue to provide
primary and acute care services to students when classes are in
session.
The new healthcare services facility complies with new federal
regulations and HIPAA rules regarding privacy and includes
examination rooms, medical staff offices and a waiting room.
Athletic
Department Offices
The athletic offices formerly on the west end of Morrell Gym have
been relocated to the Buck Center's second floor, where they will
be, for the first time, under one roof.
The second floor also includes a multipurpose room that can seat
up to 40 people for classes and meetings.
LEED
Building 
Project
Bowdoin has registered the health and fitness center as a LEED
(Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) building
project.
The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) created LEED as a
rating system for green building.
The following practices contribute to LEED credits:
* Building products that incorporate recycled and post-consumer
content
* Locally extracted and manufactured building products
* More than 95 percent of construction waste diverted from
landfills
* Indoor air quality management plan
* Low-VOC emitting building products such as adhesives, paints and
carpets
* Low-flow plumbing fixtures with motion-sensor faucets
* Green Power (Campus Energy Contracts)
* Low mercury fluorescent lamps
* Highly reflective roof membrane to reduce solar gain and heat
island effect
* High-efficiency mechanical and air handling equipment for
optimal energy performance
* Automated light management system
A formal building dedication will take place January 28, 2010.
