Holaday Athletic Center -- U.S. Air Force Academy

USAFA, CO
Construction Cost: $19 million
Area / Square Feet: 92,000
Occupancy Date: August 2011

Unable to conduct full-field drills in the existing Falcon Athletic Center due to space limitations and scheduling, the United States Air Force Academy needed an indoor training facility that was consistent with the overall design context of the Cadet campus. The new 92,000-square-foot practice facility allows the team to effectively recruit and train year-round and is large enough to be shared with all outdoor sports teams.

Situated within the iconic midcentury modern campus of the USAFA, the building features rectangular geometry, and its configuration is based on the planning module used on all Cadet Area buildings. The building exterior features standard campus materials, including anodized aluminum, polished white precast concrete and clear glass, as well as an innovative translucent panel material system.

A prominent visual feature of the building is a sunscreen on the western glass wall. Sun is controlled on the lower portion of the wall by the mountain ridge to the west and on the upper quarter of the wall by a 28-foot overhang. The center of the wall makes use of a screen that allows dappled light onto the field.