Trinity College -
Koeppel Community Sports Center
Hartford, CT
Year in Showcase: 2007
Project Description
Lauded by the panel for its attractiveness,
simplicity and costeffectiveness,
Trinity College’s
Koeppel Community Sports Center
enhances both the college and its urban
surroundings. Offering space for varsity
sports programs and Hartford’s community
recreation needs, the building’s form
is achieved by cladding a traditional
pre-engineered structure with customdesigned
facades along the two street
elevations. Asymmetrical, with a graceful
yet dynamic roofline, the facility features
a fine texture of corrugated skin that
echoes the clapboard siding used in most
of the neighboring residential buildings.
Small inserts of wood paneling at each
entrance bring a touch of warmth and
signal points of entry. The glassy facade
was designed to bring daylight into the
lobby and the skating area beyond, while
bright colors were selected for gypsum
and concrete block walls and benches to
warm up the rink and provide the sense
of an always-populated space.
Its designers, said one panelist,
"should be commended for taking a
simple program and elevating its
architecture and surrounding context to
a higher level."
Judges' Comments
The building uses the minimum of moves
to offer the community and college a
highly usable facility.
— James Meyer
While most ice sheets in a pre-engineered
metal building aren’t much to look at, the
Koeppel Center is both cost effective
and stands out for its simple detailing.
— Erik Kocher
The exterior treatment provides an
interesting change to the pre-engineered
box.
— Tom Scarlata
Project Details
Architect of Record: Sasaki Associates Inc.; Watertown, Mass.
Funded By: University funds
Major Facility Components: 90-by-
200-foot ice sheet, spectator seating,
lounges, snack bar, locker rooms,
skate-changing area, community rooms
Construction Cost: $12.6 million
Square Feet: 55,000
Occupancy: November 2006
Vendors
Bleachers/Grandstands:
Interkal
Dashers:
Athletica
Shower/Toilet Partitions:
Santana Products Inc.
Skate Resistance Flooring:
Mats Inc.
