The University of British Columbia – Okanagan (UBCO) is located in the south-central community of Kelowna in BC’s interior. UBCO’s student community numbers just over 8,300 undergraduate and graduate students, 20 per cent of whom currently live on campus. UBCO strives to provide a vibrant campus life for its students. This is particularly important for resident students as the campus is located at a significant distance from activities in downtown Kelowna. UBCO’s Athletics and Recreation Department manages recreational needs on campus. It has been operating out of facilities initially built in 1994 to accommodate less than half of the current student population. The athletic competition venues on campus still meet a very high standard, but fitness and recreation facilities were lacking. A storage area in the existing gymnasium complex was converted into a weight room and cardio workout area in an effort to provide added services but a permanent solution was needed for the ever increasing number of memberships to the facility. Following the receipt of a substantial private donation for the express purpose of building a new fitness centre on the UBCO campus, UBC Properties Trust held a design-build competition for the new building. The donor stipulated two conditions for the facility: it needed to have an aviation theme, and it had to demonstrate innovative wood construction.