A sports and recreation center put on hold during last year’s economic downturn now is moving ahead at WPI, bringing to the school a new gymnasium and natatorium among other features.

Construction of the 140,000-square-foot facility originally was to begin last spring. WPI’s board of trustees recently decided to proceed with the project after next spring’s commencement ceremonies when its review of the school’s continuing financial and academic strength and enrollment would be complete. Completion now is expected by August 2012.

“This is an important next step in developing our beautiful campus,” said Donald K. Peterson, chair of the board of trustees. “WPI has not added to its sports and recreation facilities since Harrington Auditorium opened in 1967. With the dramatic growth in enrollment since then, and the increasing importance of fitness and recreation in everyone’s lifestyle, this project is an essential development that will benefit the entire campus community. Now is an ideal time to proceed.”

The center also will contain a fitness center, indoor running track, rowing tanks, racquetball and handball courts, dance studios, and offices and meeting spaces for athletics administrators and coaches.

Plans also call for a connecting corridor to Harrington Auditorium, the 3,000-seat facility where the school’s basketball and volleyball teams play. Another building, Alumni Gym, will be converted to academic use, and its current activities, including wrestling, will be housed in the new center.