An expansion of The Houstonian Hotel, Club and Spa, this project involved the addition of a new tennis center comprising four indoor and four outdoor courts, as well as two paddle courts. A parking garage was added, and an existing parking garage was renovated. Renovations were also made to locker rooms and workout areas, while racquetball courts were converted into a group cycling room and a functional studio.
A covered entrance through the garden space connects the club with its new tennis center, providing a single point of security. Running east and west of the entrance is a gallery viewing space with large windows that overlook the garden court. Mechanical spaces were raised overhead to give a free-flowing feel to the space.
The architectural aesthetic has moved away from the building’s original commercial office look to more of a resort style, featuring brighter colors, more light-reflective surfaces and detailed fenestrations. The sheer size of the new tennis center posed a special challenge. The facade was ordered into bays, both horizontally and vertically. The openings were then proportioned to give the impression of a more visually manageable scale.
The tennis center is built on below-grade structured parking located north of the original club building on the site of the original tennis courts. The space between the two structures was softened with an active garden programmed with areas for children’s play, outdoor exercise and trellised seating.
Yawkey Sports Training Center
