The Shipley Center Dana Hall School
Wellesley, MA
Year in Showcase: 2006
Project Description
The exterior use of brick, glass, metal panels and metal roofing led one judge to describe the Shipley Center at Dana Hall School as “a thoughtful contemporary interpretation of traditional architecture.”
Because it serves as the campus hub for physical education, athletics, wellness and social activities, one might expect such a facility to be bulky. This isn’t true of the Shipley Center, as “small-scale elements around the perimeter shield the large elements of the facility, making it compatible with the rest of the campus,” according to a second juror.
Aiding this contextual integration is a path that knifes through a main campus green and continues inside the center, functioning as a main street that provides access to all major athletic spaces within. Here, skylights, floor openings and interior glazing promote transparency and vertical connectivity.
Cheerful accents of blue and white echo school colors, while maple guardrails, panels and sports floors provide warmth. Located near the entry and boasting a fireplace, lounge seating and campus views is a cozy “Living Room” that further enhances the facility’s communal atmosphere.
Judges' Comments
The massing of the building is very successful in reducing the building’s scale. Interiors are well detailed.
— Philip Laird
From a campus planning perspective, I like the way it anchors the southern end of the campus.
— J. Thomas Seymour
Very nice contextual design and clear circulation patterns on a sloping site.
— Michael Woollen
Project Details
Architect of Record: Shepley Bulfinch Richardson and Abbott; Boston, Mass.
Funded By: Donations
Major Facility Components:
Multi-court gymnasium with elevated running track, weight and fitness room, squash courts, aquatics facility, two-and-a-half-story climbing wall, fencing studio, dance studio, health center and various support spaces such as offices, classrooms and locker rooms.
Construction Cost: $21.9 million
Square Feet: 94,555
Occupancy: September 2005
Vendors
Aerobics Flooring: Horner Flooring Company
Basketball Backboards/Supports: Porter Athletic Equipment
Basketball Surfaces: Horner Flooring Company
Bleachers/Grandstands: Hussey Seating Co.
Climbing Walls:
Nicros Inc.
Court Panels/Glass: Anderson Courts And Sports Surfaces Inc.
Divider Curtains:
Draper Inc.
Dryers:
Continental Girbau Inc.
Elliptical Equipment:
Life Fitness
Fitness Center Flooring:
Mondo USA
Floor Covers:
Covermaster Inc.
Flooring: Crossfield Products Corp.
Free Weight Equipment:
Life Fitness
Handicapped Equipment:
Spectrum Aquatics
Hydrotherapy Tank: Whitehall Manufacturing
Lockers: Republic Storage Systems Co.
Multipurpose Surfaces: Horner Flooring Company
Pool Chemical Control Systems: Stenner & Co. (G.H.)
Pool Filters:
Neptune-Benson Inc.
Pool Gutters:
Neptune-Benson Inc.
Pool Ladders/Grab Bars:
Spectrum Aquatics
Pool Lane Markers: Competitor Swim Products
Pool Surface: Dal-Tile Corp.
Rowers:
Life Fitness
Scoreboards/Timing Systems:
Daktronics Inc.
Stair Climbers:
Life Fitness
Stationary Bikes:
Life Fitness
Strength Equipment:
Life Fitness
Surface: Anderson Courts And Sports Surfaces Inc.
Swimsuit Dryer: Extractor Corp.
Track Surfaces:
Mondo USA
Treadmills:
Life Fitness
Volleyball Nets and Standards:
Schelde North America
Wall Padding: Porter Athletic Equipment
Washers:
Continental Girbau Inc.
