Redesign Your School Athletic Pavilion | 2014 National High School Architecture Competition #172

What's the problem here? Getting started on your athletic pavilion design.

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Gerald Ratner Athletics Center at the University of Chicago

Design Challenge Background

The challenge is to redesign your high school’s athletic facilities into an athletic pavillion. With national organizations emphasizing the importance of regular phyical activity to combat obesity, these spaces are more important (and used!) than ever. They are becoming communty spaces and spaces for connecting, cheering, and improving lifestyles.

Design Challenge Brief

You may redesign the interior of the existing athletic facilities, expand on the existing spaces, or design a completely new addition on to your school building. Your design should contain all the spaces and functions required for typical school athletic facilities – locker rooms, athletic equipment storage rooms, concession stands, trophy cases, water fountains, offices for athletics staff, bathrooms, exercise and weight rooms, and, of course, gym spaces. The redesigned pavillion should include ideas for both old and new ideas for athletic facilities. You should also consider sustainability issues and the environmental impact of your design.

For your Overview, it is important to post a short, but clear, ‘success statement’ that communicates the goals you hope to solve and achieve through your design solutions. When you’re nearly finished with your design project, you can go back to this success statement to see if your design has met the criteria you first proposed.

Among the various magnet schools in the Clark County School District of Las Vegas, NV, Advanced Technologies Academy is one of the best in Nevada. A-TECH, as we refer to Advanced Technologies Academy, was established in 1994 with the goal of integrating the use of technology into academic learning. Nationally recognized and two-time Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence recipient A-TECH has distinguished itself as one of the elite schools in the country. A-TECH offers eight program areas, which include Architectural design, Engineering, Computer Graphics, Computer Science, Law, and Business. The students at A-TECH are unlike students of other high schools in Clark County. Students that attend A-TECH are excited and enthusiastic to learn because of the environment created by the teachers and staff.
The connection of physical training and mental training are very important. Physical fitness stimulates the brain and helps keep student focused and alert throughout day. Athletic facilities also create a community; students will compete and motive each other to work harder in the gym and in the class. Rather than promoting physical activity and creating a community the current design of A-TECH’s athletic facility discourages activity because it is undersized, under equipped, and lacks a connection with the school. An improved A-TECH athletic facility will add to the stellar academics, not only will the students be mentally fit but also physically fit.

Design Problem:
Despite the academic achievements of A-TECH, the school lacks an adequate athletic facility. The main reason for this, is the A-TECH gymnasium was never designed to house the amount of students the school houses today, around the time the gymnasium was built in 2000 (six years after the schools construction) there were approximately 600 students, now there are about 1,100 students. Since a new magnet school was recently built next door, they come over and use A-TECH’s fields for activities, making the area even more crowded. Currently the gym is too small, and lacks the room for multiple people or groups of people to exercises and/or play sports. The weight room is very cramped and claustrophobic; students are not able to achieve a full rotation of a workout because there is not enough equipment or space. The locker rooms are also undersized and are in need of repair. Only a few people actually are able to benefit from the lockers and the showers do not work.
The facility offers no incentive for students to want to use the gym to be active. The exterior of the gym is aesthetically plain and uninviting. Students only visit the gym for required class or for an assembly; the gym is also disconnected from the building. The long distance from the main building to the gym further discourages its use.

Design Solution:
My plan is to create a community space for connecting, cheering, and improving lifestyles through the promotion of physical activity. Phase one would be to demolish the existing space, for it is too small and can serve no further propose. Phase one, is to design an athletic facility that promotes physical fitness and has adequate space. Phase two is to redesign field around the gymnasium, into a pleasing environment that fosters a sense of community.
When designing the building I plan to make a multistory gymnasium. The main floor will consist of a reception area, male and female locker rooms, weight room, and offices/classrooms. First floor will overlook a sunken multi-use area, with a stage for school concerts and assemblies. The second floor will be indoor track for the hot summer Las Vegas days. Along with the track will be multiple private and non-private rooms for students to do individual work outs or to hold fitness classes. And since the main goal of A-TECH is to integrate technology into education, a computer lab will be added for students to be able to track heart rates and other useful things to help the student understand their own body, to help them live a healthier and happy life.
Phase two is to redesign the field to create the feel of a college campus, small little areas where people can do yoga or even have a picnic during lunch with friends. To encourage activities such as yoga or picnics a number of colorful desert plants will be added to distract the students. So the students do not feel at school, but rather feel like they are on vacation with friends. All the A-TECH gym teachers agree that a path which runs along the field and has outdoor exercise areas will benefit the Physical Education classes, as well as students not taking the class. A number of trees and shade structures to create shade will follow the path so students can exercise while avoiding the harsh Las Vegas sun.
Overall the A-TECH athletic facility will create a community which currently A-TECH does not have due to the current gym. The building will create a space where any A-TECH member no matter their current physical ability can exercise and because of the environment created will enjoy the experience. So they continue to exercise and improve their life. The building will create a healthier, more alert A-TECH student body and staff, so we can continue to excel not only academically but physically.

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In the Collect Info step of the design process, gather as much information as possible about your school's existing athletic facilities, both indoor and outdoor. You also want to learn as much as you can about the students and staff who will use it. You can't propose new solutions until you figure out and document what the existing problems are. 

Try This

  • Take note of unsafe conditions or conditions that do not make sense (For example, not enough storage for soccer equipment; no place for fans to buy popcorn at events; no place for athletes to change clothes or store belongings).
  • Interview your school's athletic director, student athletes from various sports, and other staff and ask them what they like and dislike about the current facilities. What changes would they make to spaces if they had a choice?
  • Make a list of the features that you really like about how your athletic facilities look and function.
  • Make a separate list of all the ways your current athletic facilities are not so well designed.
  • Calculate the number of sports played at your school and the number of student athletes who play those sports. Consider how this information will affect your new athletic pavilion. How many teams will need to practice at the same time?
    • Do an analysis at different times of the day, week, or school year and create a chart or diagram with average usage and high / low points.
    • Do an analysis of the different types of equipment used by each sport. How much storage space is there currently? Is it enough? Too much?
  • Visit Flickr or another photo sharing site and search for other types of athletic facilities or gymnasioums to determine good and bad examples of how these can accommodate user’s needs.
  • Post images of buildings, colors, designs, textures, or other things that inspire you in this step. Make sure you give credit to your source!
  • Research other schools, universities, or public centers to determine good / bad examples of how athletic equipment and gear is stored and if anything is done to accommodate student athletes and the fans who use these outdoor facilities. What inspires you?

Tbostic's work for the Collect Information step:

Summary
Collecting info is the most important step of the design process. In this step the architect gathers as much information of the site, exiting buildings, and the community’s ideas.
When understanding a site, one factor commonly overlooked is the wind speeds. By understanding wind...
Site analysis helps the architect orientate the building to block noise, create views, and connect...
The inside of the current gym is very small, and most of the time the assemblies have to be split...
The lack of color on the exterior of the gym, makes the gym unappealing and discourages students...
It is important to understand the behavior of the sun on the site, so you the building can shade...
Wind direction is important to an architect, because it allow the architect to block winds to allow...
Its odd that when studying the existing building I found colorful plants behind the gym, where...

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Columbia University Campbell Sports Center © Iwan Baan

In the Brainstorm Ideas step of the design process, you start to be inspired by new places and you put some early ideas down on paper that show what you've found in the Collect Info step. You also might take more photos to show specific new ideas you have. 

The simple diagrams you make here will help you understand how the existing library location and design compare with your new ideas.

Try This

  • Draw a floorplan of your existing facilities. How are all of the different athletic spaces connected? What are the different pathways you can take through all of these spaces? Map all of these rooms and spaces.
  • Use Google Maps to view and print out an aerial photo of your school. Take measurements of the overall dimensions of your existing athletic facilities, both indoor and outdoor and use the aerial to map out the measurements.
  • Post this aerial map and sketch here so everyone can understand the relationship between your school building, the athletic fields, and the proposed site of your new pavilion. Describe the surrounding area and note existing structures such as the field, track, seating, storage, locker rooms, concession stands, and any fences. 
  • On a piece of tracing paper placed over the aerial photo of your school, sketch a diagram showing a large arc around the building to show the path of the sun throughout the day.  This drawing is called a site analysis diagram.  (Remember, the sun rises in the east and sets in the west.)

Think About

  • Will your new athletic pavillion replace your school's existing athletic facilities or become an addition to a different part of the building? Will it be built in an empty lot or space?  Will it be underground or built on the roof?  You decide.
  • Spend some time looking at the aerial photo of your school.  What types of other buildings surround your school?  Homes, businesses, parks, parking lots, or an empty field?  How will these other buildings impact the design of your new athletic pavillion?
  • What types of streets surround your school? Are they busy or quiet?   
  • Based on the site analysis diagram you've sketched, where is the sun located throughout the school day?
  • How can the indoor and outdoor areas of your new athletic pavillion be positioned to take advantage of the sunlight for good lighting?

Tbostic's work for the Brainstorm Ideas step:

Summary
Brainstorming ideas is when you are set free and let your imagination go wild. There are no limitations, nothing holding you back.
Green design as i like to call it can allow the building to be self sustainable. The advancements...
Planters add addition color, and makes the building have a connection with the nature around it. It...
Shading structures are extremely important in Nevada as the sun is unforgiving. Both teachers and...
The skin of the building is extremely important, because it is the first thing a visitor sees....
Bubble diagrams help an architect arrange rooms and quickly create a floor plan so they can later...
Through out my early elevation sketches i wanted to have a lot of natural light, and color. These...

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WMS Boat House at Clark Park © Steve Hall Hedrich Blessing

In the Develop Solutions step, your rough ideas come together with drawings and models that can show others your solutions for a new library.

Important! Since DiscoverDesign is about investigating the design process, the other people viewing your project - other students around the country, your teacher, and the mentors - want to see how your ideas have changed over time. This means that while you're working on your digital model, you’ll want to be sure to keep re-saving it with a new file name every few days as you work through the steps.

Try This

  • Draw a sketch or use software such as Google SketchUp, AutoCAD, or Revit to illustrate your ideas.  You can upload photos (JPG files) from your SketchUp model, video fly throughs (FLV files) of your SketchUp model, or drawings (DWF files) from AutoCAD.
  • Determine the best location for your new structure. Make side notes of where new elements may go or how you would change what is currently in place.
  • Make a list of all the unique spaces and features you plan to have in your athletic pavilion. 
  • Your athletic pavilion can include any types of spaces and features you feel are most important for your particular school, but here are a few suggestions:
    • Locker or changing rooms for home and visiting teams
    • Athletic equipment storage rooms
    • Concession stand
    • Trophy cases
    • Water fountains
    • Offices for athletic director or staff
    • Bathrooms for fans
    • Exercise or weight rooms
  • Use cardboard to create a 3D study model of early ideas. Or, create a rough digital study model of your ideas. These models don't need to show detail, just the overall size and massing for your athletic pavilion.
  • Show your ideas to your teacher and peers for some feedback. You can also review your progress with the test group you may have interviewed and test whether your design would meet their needs or address their concerns. Learn from the feedback you receive and incorporate into your final design solution.
  • Be sure to check out and make comments on other student design projects.
  • Do not leave work for the last minute! Going through a detailed design process requires time to gather information, develop ideas, and make improvements. This is difficult or impossible if you try to pull everything together a week before your project is due. Projects that are researched, developed, and well executed will always stand out!

Tbostic's work for the Develop Solutions step:

Summary
Develop solutions is when you start to think realistically and begin to narrow done all of the ideas generated during the brainstorming step.
Really early rendering, figuring out the heights and sizes of the building
Added some color and created the shading structure. Also created the planters and made a window at...
Isometric view of the building with color and the shading structure.
Quick Rendering of the indoor basketball court. The basketball court will be placed on the north...
A majority of our school plays soccer for their zone school. And every year A-TECH has a soccer...

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Williams Natatorium at Cranbrook Academy Flickr.com © All rights reserved by Doctor Casino

The Final Design step of the design process is to create more finished drawings and models that illustrate your ideas to others. Remember, your explanation text, and the types of drawings, images, and models you share need to tell the whole story of your project to someone who may or may not have ever visited your school.

Try This

  • Review your design and test it against your original sucess statement that you wrote for the Overview. Does it meet this criteria?
  • Does your final design meet the expectations of the student athletes and athletic director that you interviewed?  If not, you may need to go back to the drawing board and revise your design.
  • For your final design, you will want to post a short but effective paragraph of your process and the unique solutions you found and developed. Tell us about your ideas and how they may or may not have changed over the course of the project.
  • You might want to share floor plans, elevations, renderings of your digital model, photos of a physical model, or a video animation of your model.
  • But you aren't done yet! Be sure to comment on other projects in the competition to foster, encourage, and build an online design community of learners in DiscoverDesign.  CAF will also recognize students that provide both encouragement and constructive criticism on students' work throughout the run of the competition.

Tbostic's work for the Final Design step:

Summary
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