Page 33 - spaces4learning, Summer 2022

clean lines, cantilevers and projections. Expansive windows animate the façade and highlight the activity taking place within. The university’s colors, blue and yellow, are integrated into the exterior glass to add another layer of connection and visual excitement. The facility as a whole establishes an energetic visual focus at the end of the campus.
The entrance to the building is awash with nat- ural light that streams in through the south-facing windows, which are outfitted with sun screens and shading overhangs. The emphasis on natural light and warm wood paneling extends a warm welcome to visitors, while the large windows enhance a visual connection to the campus. Interior finishes such as sports branding and a wooden trophy wall tie in a sense of athletic excitement to differentiate the guest experience from that of other buildings on campus. The main lobby is a light, airy and flex- ible concourse that serves as both a ticketing and concessions area for game nights and a comfortable space with high-top tables and casual furniture for students to study or socialize. The multifunction- ality of the lobby underscores the central theme of flexibility.
From the outset of the project, the program hinged on the creation of a full, NCAA-regulation basketball court. The wooden ceiling elements in the lobby continue into the central gymnasium and wrap around the interiors, providing seamless con- nectivity between the spaces. Four state-of-the-art gender-neutral locker rooms are usable by different teams as the seasons change. Further highlighting the central tenets of connectivity and flexibility
are athletic staff offices with visual access to the court and a skybox seating area overlooking the arena, which can function as both a VIP space and an additional classroom. To widen the appeal and usership of the facility, multiple training rooms provide opportunities for competitive athletes to train as well as the larger student body to exercise. Additionally, the student health services suite, formerly housed in a smaller outlying building, now resides on the ground floor of the new facility, emphasizing a focus on wellness.
James LaPosta has dedicated his career to design that advances the future of teaching and learn- ing. LaPosta is a past national Chair of the AIA’s Committee on Architecture for Education and has contributed to peer and industry organizations that seek to evolve the profession’s approach to education design. In 2013, he was elevated to Fellow of the American Institute of Architects for his work elevat- ing the practice of architecture, and in particular, education design.
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