New Century Fieldhouse is the epitome of adaptive reuse. The interior of this abandoned warehouse was only 80 percent complete, site work was not complete and the facility had never been occupied. The Johnson County Park & Recreation District had a vision of transforming the interior into a lively sports hub for this southern Kansas City metro community, and the facility now serves a variety of audiences and indoor sporting needs. One side features eight courts for volleyball, as well as four courts each for basketball and futsal. A turf field for soccer, football, lacrosse and other field sports rounds out the facility.
The interior welcomes patrons with a new public entrance and reception area on the west side of the building. A central pedestrian spine provides views to the indoor soccer field on the south and volleyball, basketball and futsal courts on the north. Interior spaces are divided by a second-level mezzanine space that provides additional sport observation areas, party rooms, concessions and public restrooms all accommodating ADA usage.
More than 75 percent of the existing walls, floors and roof were reused, reducing the energy required for new construction. New building products were selected from recycled materials and from manufacturers within 500 miles of the site. In addition, more than 2,158 tons of construction waste and demolition debris was diverted from landfills and redirected for recycling or salvage. Moreover, the LEED Gold facility is designed to use only 60 percent of the water and 72 percent of the energy consumed by comparable buildings.
