In the design of Spoelhof Fieldhouse Complex, the site and context created enormous challenges. The program called for adding 292,000 square feet to an existing 70,000-square-foot building, but adjacent dorms and woodlots restrained possibilities for expansion. Additionally, the design needed to remain true to the campus vernacular (a 1960s Prairie style), while creating a human scale adjacent to the dormitories — though the low, horizontal force was antithetical to the monumental nature of performance athletic spaces.
The solution was to create long-hanging eaves on the larger volumes, and to tier the mass of the building to the south toward the pedestrian way. Programmatically, the fitness center acts as a buffer between the arena and the campus, allowing for expansive glass to connect the interior and exterior. On the aquatic center, a portico served as a complement to the fitness massing on the arena, and served the dual purpose of creating a sunshade on the south side of the pool, allowing for a glass facade connection to the campus.
Another challenge was to create a single facility on campus that would be home to an academic department, all of the athletic teams, the campus Health Services Clinic and a human performance laboratory, and yet one that would be available every day for student and staff recreation. This complex problem was solved by weaving the four venues together with large public spaces.
Secaucus Recreation Center
