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We are in need of more gym space. We have two unused outdoor-court-yard type spaces (each is large enough for a full court of basketball and then some) that are built within the borders of the school building itself. I have been trying to find a company to get info back about this. Is it possible and feasable to put up a quality roof of some kind, and then what kind of floors are out there for this type of project? Money is an issue but we have not even really looked into this. This could be a great project for a very innovative company, and also a chance for a company to get excellent exposure for a unique project getting involved in improving a public high school facility.

Might be able to help, would need to see existing area. Is proposed area surrounded by existing buildings now.? Check our web site and contact me and see. I'll let you know yes/no as soon as possible, won't keep you hanging. Joe

I remember working Don Lane's basketball camps at Transylvania (KY) University for many years. For parts of two seasons, while the old gym was being torn down to be replaced by a new one, they practiced in an inflatable bubble. They purchased the Miami Heat's old floor and baskets for $30,000, which wasn't a bad price. The only real drawbacks were temperature control. In the winter, they had a hard time getting the temperature out of the 50's on really cold days. It could be almost unbearable in the summer; even with air conditioning blasting the temperature in the dome would still be in the 80's on really hot days. But, the floor was excellent and I thought it was a good bargain for the money spent.

Philip, we do enclosures like this a lot. We covered BMO soccer field on a seasonal basis in Toronto. We also have permanent installations covering swimming pools or tennis courts. Thanks, Joe

We are in the process of planning to enclose a courtyard too. OUr problem is the roof line - too many pitches. We spoke with architects last week and are awaiting a plan. Since going through this planning process, we spoke with 4 architects. They all recommended going with the wood floors. The bounce is more natural and the life length is longer if kept up. The expense is most likely greater initially, but will pay for itself. We have the Mondo flooring on our track and aerobics room and it wears well too, but the bounce/sound just isn't as natural.

You could look into enclosing this space with a structure that is offered from Sprung (of Allentown, PA) or an enclose that is something of the like, perhaps an air bubble. A synthetic resilient sports floor, such as Taraflex or Mondo would be a good alternative as these systems do not require heating or cooling and offer high levels of safety. Further, Taraflex and Mondo offer a loose lay and high moisture underlayment which could allow to overlay asphalt or an alternative that may be cheaper then concrete.

You do not mention what type of surface is there now so I am guessing either blacktop or concrete. There are many floors that will work over either of these. Depending on the ventilation used either concrete or blacktop can be leveled using latex levelers and the floors installed over it. As for the roof a qualified structural engineer would need to be consulted for the options available in your area.

Phillip, I would contact local metal building manufacturers or erectors. We are an athletic equipment supplier and have done a few open-air type facilities with several different manufacturers. There are usually a few listed in Athletic Business, a quick call to one should put you in touch with a local area representative. Obviously you would want a structural engineer involved, and an architect as well to make sure you tie into your existing building correctly. As far as the court goes I would look at Sport Court or a similar multi-sport type product. With this type of surface you could use the area for basketball, volleyball, in-line skating (hockey), really all types of sports. Good Luck with your project. David K. Covington, VP/COO M. Michael Elkis Co., Inc. Greensboro, NC

http://www.nnparks.com/sports_facilities_midtown.php

The above link goes to Newport News, Va Parks and Recreation Dept. Midtown Recreation Center's site. Their outdoor pavilion (which I have visited) is covered and has two basketball courts. I don't recall the roof material, but it may be beneficial to contact them for a recommendation (for or against what they have). Good luck!

I would recommend approaching the problem of an enclosed courtyard (multi-use) play area with two significantly different solutions in mind:1) Solution 1 - If play is desired 12-months a year, and the structural features around the perimeter of the courtyard (including HVAC) permit, I would look at a teflon or canvas materials using air pressure and and blower fans. The real-life case study is the Pontiac Silverdome, which is still standing today. This would permit any number of flooring solutions, from poured or layed products, to sport court, even wood. The key being, standing up to your snow loads in your environment.

You will also have to consider additional heating and cooling and the capabilities of the current system to be enhanced for the additional loads for the larger enclosed spaces.2) Solution 2- If play could be confined to a 9 month schedule (except Dec./Jan./Feb)- do not provide a roof at all. Provide an all-weather surface (concrete or asphalt) with a radiate type system underneath for melting snow and ice. Sport court can be placed on top of the concrete and is a great Volleyball surface also.

If the courtyard is not enclosed on all four sides and/or an emergency egress exists, create a path for high capacity snow removal equipment to clean the area and remove snow. It would not be totally out of the question to intentially design this space to permit ice skating 3 months a year (courtyard-Rockefeller Ctr. in NY). This would be an enhancement to the lower cost original plan but might really be nice in your area where Ice Hockey and Skating are viable. I would consider several above ground high capacity blowers (football sidelines) to be able to melt snow. The lower cost solution is #2. The option to enhance and move to solution #1 is not lost after demand is established and you are bursting at the seams. -Mike Stodola616-893-7314

Philip, It all depends on what you need to achieve. Are you looking for a full Gymnasium,a health club expansions, etc. fully conditioned and protected from the Elements? how high is the current building? If so, it may be possible to use the existing exterior walls as the roof support. Obviously, the least expensive option would probably be long span metal joists, with a metal deck roof structure. I am assuming when you said courtyard that these spaces are walled in. Please keep in mind that you would need to bring power and lighting, as well as HVAC of some kind. There are excellent green options and opportunities to a project like this, such as natural ventilation and solar panels on the new roof. there are also life safety issues for getting people in and out safely, as well as potential zoning issues for parking etc.. There really are a number of ways to go with this, and the best way to weigh your options is to bring in an architectural professional to work through your specific resources and variables. The short answer is yes, it is possible, but there is no easy answer as to how without knowing more information. Rudy Fabiano, AIA, Architect Fabiano Designs ph.973.746.5100 fx. 973.746.5103 http://www.fabianodesigns.com/" target="_blank">www.fabianodesigns.com Smart Designs Inspiring Lifestyle Experiences

Your situation sounds like a perfect fit for our building system. Sprung structures has been able to help educational institutions with an innovative buildings alternative, designed and engineered to provide cost effective solution for multifunctional gymnasium space.

There are many areas of concern here: Do the existing walls, or structure, have enough extra bearing to support the new roof? How do the exisitng roofs drain, and will the drainage have to be accommodated? The exisitng courtyards are probably there to bring light and natural ventalation into the spaces adjacent to the courtyards. How will this be handled once the courtyards are roofed over? Are there spaces that exit through the courtyards that cannot exit through another enclosed space? The State of Minnesota may mandate that all school building work have an architect or engineer involved in all building projects. Your first action might be to find a qualified design professional to evaluate the feasibility of your suggestion.

Hi Philip, There are several questions that come to mind before even thinking about the various material options out there. You state that the basketball courts are bounded by other school buildings. This raises potential code questions as to the minimum clearances between buildings and the maximum allowable area of any one building should this new structure be attached to one or more existing structures. Second, there's the question of budget. How much money do you have to spend? You can put up a relatively inexpensive structure with steel roof trusses and use a built-up tar or asphalt roof; or even a tensile roof covering. Then there's the more expensive and exciting retractable roofs which allow fresh air circulation, lower HVAC useage and utility costs or even an environmentally sensitive "green living" roof. From there you have the same type of questions regarding the flooring system. There's concrete, synthetic materials, wood, or bamboo. It all depends on your budget, life expectancy, use and aesthetics. My suggestion to you would be to find a qualified archtitect that has done gymnasiums in the past with whom you can share your budget and existing campus layout and discuss all of your options. I think this will save you money and headaches in the long run. -Ritch J. Voss, AIA, LEED-AP

Your first call(s) needs to be to a local architect and engineer; they’ll be able to tell you if adding a roof is feasible, practical and a rough cost estimate. Once you find out if it can be done and within budget, seek out a sport facility consultant to work with you and the architect and engineer. From my experience architects and engineers can be limited in their ideas/designs based upon their prior experience with sport facilities. Sport venues have unique and specific requirements for planning the activity space, ancillary areas, and floor surface, therefore sport consultants are invaluable. There are countless options available, but given your locale and budget constraints you may really need to be creative. Important areas that cannot be compromised are in the facility design and construction as any risk to your students and community is unacceptable.

Dear Mr. Carson, We are an operable roof and skylight company. Our product might be ideally suited for the project you describe. If your courts are surrounded by existing structures, an operable roof or skylight could be supported by them. Please check our website and let me know if we can be of assistance to you in any way. Douglas Roberts. http://www.rollamatic.com/" target="_blank">www.rollamatic.com

On a smaller scale, we added a roof to enclose an space at our athletic club. While smaller, the principal is the same. Your limitations will be how far to the interior of your existing building is the space? Can it be reached with a local crane? Most structures that have an interior courtyard concept have wall that already bear the weight of the existing roof structure. If you have the original plans, an engineer could review the specs to see how much load could be put on the existing walls to support the weight of the new roof. To lessen the load, you can probably install all of your HVAC on the roof of the existing building. Flooring would depend on how and what you want to use the new space for. Ballpark figure would be $7-10 s.f.

many companies have an outdoor snap together tile that drains through that we use outdoor in Florida. Good luck with your adventure

With nice weather here we install the Sport Court PowerGame Surface on an asphalt or concrete "playground" and convert it into what we call an outdoor gymnasium. Similar peformance surface to a suspended hardwood floor. Add some bleachers and nice outdoor hoop systems and tada.....an outdoor gym. Those who like some protection from the elements will do a canopy or carport structure which is open on 3 or 4 sides. No HVAC, lighting, plumbing, etc, needed. Oh yeah, you are in Minnesota..... home prices are reasonable now in California and we are looking for some good teachers, administrators, and coaches?

2 suggestions – This first one can be developed with a smaller budget as the progress is done in increments. Viewpoint High School in Calabasas, Ca. had an outdoor basketball court with bleachers at just one end line (I think 5-6 tier). Year one they put the first part of the plan in place with block walls and openings/structure to later add rollup doors (2 on each endline and 2 or 3 on each sideline. With the shell in place they added a metal roof (not sure of composition). They used this for a couple of years. Yes, the volleyballs and basketballs went flying out into the rain, and they learned to station students at the openings when games were in progress. When money came in they added a real gym floor and the roll-up doors). They have since added acoustics to deaden the sound and made improvements to the ceiling. They are planning a new school/athletic facility development for the future. http://www.viewpoint.org/" target="_blank">www.viewpoint.org

This second suggestion is the use of a tent over a cement base/wood floor surface. During the Northridge, CA earthquake, many schools were damaged and not usable. Alemany High School in Mission Hills, CA erected a temporary gym using a tent concept. This was used for a number of years until enough funds could be raised to build a new school/gym. www.alemany.org 11111 N Alemany Drive Mission Hills, CA 91345 - (818) 365-3925