A high school in Hawaii is planning to build a 3,800-square-foot girls’ athletic facility to address Title IX gender equity requirements within two years.
As reported by KHON in Honolulu, citing WhiteSpace Architects, design for the girl’s athletic complex at Waipahu High School includes a space with locker rooms dedicated to the female athletes, showers, a trainers’ facility including a large treatment room, a team meeting room, laundry facilities, restrooms and ample storage. The design will create inclusive restrooms for all genders, including a gender-neutral locker room for a single individual with a shower and bathroom.
"This facility will also greatly improve what our athletic trainers can provide to the female student-athletes because of its proximity to the fields of play,” said Waipahu athletic director Stacie Nii. “We will provide treatment more efficiently to a greater number of students, but also will be able to offer a greater variety of athletic assistance because of future opportunities with the space.”
While WHS has separate physical education facilities for girls and boys, the Marauders girls’ and boys’ athletic programs currently share an athletic facility.
Groundbreaking on the girls' dedicated facility is expected in late 2022. Construction is estimated to take approximately 16 months, and school officials hope the new facility will be open for the 2024-25 academic year, KHON reported.
"Our project team of women is incredibly honored to design a project that will help bring gender equity to the female athletes at Waipahu High,” said WSA architect and owner Laura Ayers.
