Montana State Student Wellness Center

Planning for Holistic Health

What began as a crisis quickly became a catalyst for long-term improvement. When a winter roof collapse made MSU’s original gym unusable, the university quickly moved to restore recreation services by erecting temporary domes. At the same time, leadership accelerated long-standing plans to create a modern, integrated wellness facility.

The new Student Wellness Center consolidated programs that had been scattered across campus—often in dark, outdated, or repurposed spaces—and brought them together into one thoughtfully designed and centrally located building. Students now have access to preventive care, mental health support, recreation, and academic research opportunities all under one roof.

This intentional grouping fosters student well-being in a more equitable and accessible way. Even during high-stress times like finals week, the facility remains a hub of activity and support.

Key features include:

• Expanded space for mental health and counseling services.
• Upgraded clinical and dental facilities with modern amenities.
• New exercise science laboratories and academic research areas.
• Functional fitness and group exercise studios.
• A climbing wall, group fitness spaces, an aquatics center, and large multi-use courts.
• Spaces that are designed for accessibility, privacy, and student comfort.

The result is a vibrant, inclusive environment that reflects MSU’s vision of whole-person wellness and enhances the overall student experience.

Sustainable by Design

Recreation and aquatic facilities are among the most energy-intensive building types, so MSU, MMW, and Morrison-Maierle worked together to integrate high-efficiency systems from the earliest phases of design. The student wellness center is targeting LEED certification and incorporates several innovative sustainability measures to reduce its environmental footprint.

Key sustainability measures include:

• Integration with MSU’s new South Campus energy district and geothermal well field.
• Water-source heat pump systems that reuse internal energy (e.g., redirecting heat from fitness areas to warm pool water).
• A rooftop solar photovoltaic system that offsets a large portion of the building’s energy use.
• A solar wall that preheats outdoor air using passive solar energy.
• LED lighting and daylighting controls with occupancy sensors.
• Custom HVAC solutions for pool areas, science labs, medical offices, ski and bike shops, and other specialty areas.

Together, these systems reduce operational costs, improve occupant comfort, and help MSU meet its campus-wide sustainability goals.

A Trusted Partner

With more than 80 years in business and a deep portfolio of work on the MSU campus, Morrison-Maierle brought both technical strength and institutional knowledge to this project. We’ve helped design and engineer a range of campus facilities—from academic buildings to utility infrastructure—and we understand MSU’s standards, processes, and operational priorities.

This insight proved invaluable during a complex project that required:

• Seamless integration with legacy steam systems and modern geothermal infrastructure.
• Close coordination with diverse university stakeholders, including health services, student recreation, and exercise sciences.
• Careful phasing to keep Shroyer Gym and adjacent buildings open during construction.
• Sophisticated 3D modeling to coordinate a dense network of systems within limited existing spaces.
• Design flexibility to support long-term maintenance, performance, and adaptability.

Our multidisciplinary team was involved from day one, assessing existing buildings and systems post-gym collapse, helping design and engineer temporary gym domes, modeling complex systems in 3D, and navigating pandemic-era design coordination. We brought flexibility, experience, and technical depth to help MSU turn a challenging situation into an asset for students and staff alike.

With the updated building, students can access inclusive wellness resources that contribute to their overall health and well-being for years to come.