United States Military Academy Preparatory School

West Point, N.Y.
Construction Cost: $98 million
Area / Square Feet: 255,000
Occupancy Date: December 2011

The United States Military Academy is a historic campus with massive granite buildings in the gothic style. This presented a challenge to the designers of the new USMAPS campus, as the budget did not allow for similar construction. With the skillful use of brick, some granite and glass curtainwall, the new campus has a clear connection to the history of West Point while reflecting modern building technologies, today's Army, and the USMAPS mission to provide focused academic, military and physical instruction in a moral and ethical environment.

With the exception of the indoor field, each building has a lobby space that signifies arrival. The athletic facility has an additional entrance that offers views into a public corridor that can serve as a memorial hall, as well as provide visual continuity into the multipurpose room, gymnasium and cardio workout area. Much of the architectural expression of the athletic and fitness facilities comes from the integration of the home football stands and their two entrances.

The design's flat roof profiles and glass curtainwall contribute to the facility's modern, edgy appearance. Interior finish materials were chosen based on their consistency with campus aesthetics, functional appropriateness, maintenance and sustainability. Utilitarian finishes in the functional spaces are balanced by distinctive finishes in lobbies and public spaces, and a rich and timeless color palette ensures the long-term appeal of the interiors.